


The Art of Illusion.

by Tiger_Tiger_Burning_Bright



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Attempt at humour, Bad Parent Maryse Lightwood, Gymnast Alec, M/M, Magic Tricks, Slow Burn, alec sure does, all the Lightwoods are gymnasts, artist Clary, cos who doesn't love magic, fake dating (kinda) AU, i mean literally the slowest...., im avoiding angst this time, lots of fluff, magician Magnus, magnus is a tv magician, or at least trying to
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-29
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2018-10-25 10:05:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 94,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10762029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiger_Tiger_Burning_Bright/pseuds/Tiger_Tiger_Burning_Bright
Summary: Magnus Bane likes his life, he gets to do the magic he loves and has a very successful tv show. When the tv studio suggests adding celebrity guests to his show something very unexpected happens.Alec Lightwood is no fan of the limelight, he'll quite happily leave that up to Jace and Isabelle so he can concentrate on his training. All in all it's the perfect arrangement, his mother has spokespeople for The Institute, one of the most highly thought of gymnastic training schools in the country, but she also gets to hide away her gay son. Little does Alec know his life is about to change more than he ever thought possible.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So...I must be mad but here we go with another multi chapter fic..I was inspired by this wonderful manip 
> 
> http://annlightwood.tumblr.com/post/158234065329/magnus-banehigh-warlock-of-brooklyn
> 
> And couldn't get the idea of Magnus as a David Blaine/ Dynamo style magician.
> 
> Beta'd as ever by the wonderful @LadyMatt

Magnus Bane was bored. Seriously, mind numbingly bored. Why he even needed to be here was a mystery, really it was beyond frustrating. Flipping a coin over his fingers casually, he tried to at least pretend to be invested in what was going on. Surely the whole point of having a manager was so he didn't have to deal with studio execs, but as it turned out no, that wasn’t the case, the studio clearly wanted to see their star and bore him to tears with talk of ratings.

“So as you can see, there has been a slight decline in the ratings which we feel cannot be explained by seasonality.”

The female exec was standing by a screen with a PowerPoint graph and pointing out a variety of curves and factors. Magnus had never bothered to learn her name, he tended to refer to all of the studio types by nicknames, knowing their names would imply that he cared, which he decidedly did not. This one he referred to as the librarian, due to her habit of looking intently over her horn rimmed glasses and her usual hairstyle of dark hair pulled back into a severe bun. Today she was wearing a serious black skirt suit and obligatory high heels and was sporting the kind of look that is usually seen on a disgruntled schoolteacher.

“So Mr Bane, we at the studio feel that some changes are needed to the show’s format vis a vis improving the target market. We felt this would be a good opportunity for some blue sky thinking and brainstorming between us before approaching the relevant focus groups.”

Magnus felt himself wince, there was nothing he hated more than corporate speak, dammit why did he pay Ragnor again? At this moment in time he wished he really was a warlock and had the ability to make himself disappear, sadly he was only an illusionist, so it wasn't an option.

Ragnor elbowed him hard in the ribs and Magnus flashed him a filthy look before looking towards the librarian who was now hovering by a whiteboard, pen in hand. Magnus’ heart sank.

……….

Several hours later and feeling like he had aged around 30 years, Magnus emerged from the meeting. He had been in a relatively good mood that morning as well, he should've known better than to expect it to last.

“Well that went ok, I thought” Ragnor seemed surprisingly chipper, considering the last few hours.

“Sorry, were we even in the same meeting…” Magnus sighed dramatically.

“Of course we were.” Ragnor's usual grumpy demeanour made a reappearance. “Seriously Magnus, why do you have to make things so difficult? All they were suggesting was adding a bit of pizzazz!”

Magnus snorted derisively.

“As I said, pizzazz. I really don't see the problem…celebrities will be queuing up for the Magnus Bane treatment…”

“Ragnor, you know how I feel about celebrities..and they even suggested I get back together with Camille..” Magnus pouted.

“Well she _was_ good publicity…magician dating supermodel” Ragnor air quoted with his fingers, earning a withering look from Magnus, “and anyway, all they suggested was having a weekly celebrity, I really don't see it's a big deal.”

Magnus rolled his eyes dramatically.

“Fine…but I draw the line at actors. I do not want some c-lister hamming it up to try and reignite their flagging career and I'm absolutely not doing big illusions or ridiculous stunts. I am not David Copperfield” Magnus conceded unhappily “and my love life is definitely off the table..”

“Ok, ok. Caterina and I will start researching and see who we can lure in. You just need to concentrate on keeping the magic flowing…”

Ragnor glanced down at his Blackberry, swiping through the emails distractedly,  
“So we’re all set for filming tonight.. The crew will meet you at the opening at 8pm so that’ll give you time to settle in..don't forget, make up at 6pm!”

“Fine..I’ll be there..”

……..

By the time Magnus arrived at the gallery that was holding the opening it was a flurry of activity, even though it was only 3pm. Amongst the workmen putting together the finishing touches, he caught sight of a familiar red head flying about. Despite her small size, Clary was ordering everyone around with great authority. She may be little but boy could she be scary.

Magnus was glad to be filming at the gallery tonight, it was great to be working with Clary and he really hoped that the extra publicity would help her. Magnus glanced around him at the walls covered with the younger girl’s canvases and was reminded again just how talented an artist she was. Yep, she definitely deserved a break.

It was still weird to think of her as a grown up. Magnus had known Clary since she was 8 and he was 15 when her mother, Jocelyn, and step father, Luke had taken him in as a very disturbed foster kid. He often wondered where he would be now had it not been for the two them, likely in jail he supposed. It had of course been difficult at first, but Clary, being stubborn as an ox even at such a young age, having found out about his talent for magic, had insisted on following him around everywhere demanding that he showed her more and more tricks. Ordinarily, he should have moved on when he reached 16 but Jocelyn and Luke had insisted he stay to finish high school, even if he had no desire to go to college.

It had been a 14 year old Clary that had encouraged Magnus to perform street magic around their neighbourhood, filming it all with her nerdy best friend Simon and starting up a YouTube channel. It didn't take long for each video to get millions of hits, and soon the “High Warlock of Brooklyn” came to the attention of the TV execs. The rest, as they say, was history.

Magnus’ thoughts were disturbed by a sharp shove in his side announcing the arrival of Simon, who to be fair was never far away from Clary.

“Hey magic man..” He grinned.

“Sherwin..I see you got roped in as well.”

“Seriously, you're still doing that..”

“Always Scott, always” Magnus smirked.

That was their thing, Magnus pretending to have forgotten the younger man's name. They'd been doing it for years, a ritual between old friends.  
Simon sighed with mock exasperation.

“Well since you’re here you can make yourself useful…” The younger man nodded towards Clary.

Magnus rolled his eyes.  
“Let me guess.. She's driving everyone nuts..”

“Totally.. I think she's moved everything at least 20 times. Seriously, if we don't get her out of here someone's going to lose it and attack her with a claw hammer..”

The two men looked at each other in silent agreement and moved towards their target.

Magnus held a finger to his lips as the pair crept up behind Clary who was completely oblivious to their approach, far too preoccupied with her creative vision.

As soon as they were within reach Magnus counted down on his fingers, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by one of the workmen who stifled a laugh.

“And go..” Simon shouted as the pair pounced in unison, each grabbing one of Clary’s arms.

“What…” Clary yelped, flicking her long red hair angrily, before seeing who was responsible. “Seriously? C’mon guys, I've still got tons to do.”

“Oh Biscuit, you really don't. It's looking great and we’re saving you from yourself anyway. Let these guys do their work, eh.” Magnus’ words were greeted by murmurs of approval by the decorators. “See they agree..”

“Simon, please…it’s my first show..you know what this means to me..” Clary pleaded, staring at Simon with her best puppy dog eyes.

“Sheldon..eyes straight ahead. Don’t fall for it.” Magnus’ serious tone was somewhat lessoned by the slight curve of his lips.

“Oh God, she’s doing the look..” Simon whined as the pair of them lifted Clary so her feet dangled slightly off the ground.

“Uh-huh..”

“Oh God..”

Simon set his shoulders firmly as they practically carried Clary towards the door, a task made almost impossible thanks to her insistence on trying to continue shouting instructions over her shoulder.

The sound of laughter coming from the doorway pulled Clary’s attention back in front of her.

Luke leaned against the doorframe, eyes crinkling in amusement, and manfully ignoring Clary frantically mouthing for him to help her.

“Let me guess…she’s driving everyone crazy.” Luke chuckled.

“Completely..” Simon agreed as Clary rolled her eyes dramatically.

“Her mom was exactly the same before her first show. Pretty sure I had to carry her out too…”

“Ah c’mon you guys..” Clary pouted as Magnus and Simon lowered her to the ground a little.

“Clary. Go get coffee, we got this..” Luke teased.

“See Biscuit, we’re doing you a favour. Anyway don’t you wanna hear what I’ve got planned for tonight..?” Magnus batted his eyebrows at Clary, making her smile a little despite herself.

“Like he’d tell us..” Simon muttered, earning a glare from Magnus.

“Not helpful.” Magnus grumbled. “Ok yeah, I probably won’t but...I can tell you all about the horror that was my meeting with the execs, so there’s that..Anyway I need to set up as well, so it’s not as if it’s for long.”

Clary seemed to be pondering the idea as Jocelyn arrived.

“Let me guess, constantly rearranging things…” Jocelyn rapidly appraised the situation and was greeted by a sea of nodding heads. “Honey, don’t worry. I’ll make sure it looks amazing.”

Jocelyn reached forward to affectionately move a strand of hair from Clary’s forehead and tuck it behind her ear.

“Okay.” Clary conceded somewhat reluctantly. “But just a quick drink yeah…”

“Cross my heart.” Magnus held his hand up in mock seriousness.

“Don’t worry..it'll look great.” Jocelyn smiled.

………..

“So the long and the short of it is that apparently Ineed to add more ‘pizzazz’” Magnus air quoted, with a distinctly petulant look on his face.

Having finally conceded defeat, they'd managed to drag Clary to Java Jones and Magnus had decided the best way to distract her was to tell her all about the morning meeting in his typical flamboyant style. So far it was working pretty well, even if he said so himself.

“And they seriously suggested you get back together with Camille..” Clary looked at him, concern all over her face as she stirred her latte.

Magnus nodded sadly.

“Seriously, tell me you're not considering it” Simon fiddled with his glasses anxiously, only relaxing a little when Magnus shuddered, a look of disgust on his face.

“Honestly Sheldon, credit me with some taste. Nope, I would rather spend a lifetime with a plethora of reality stars than spend 30 seconds with that hellbeast..” Magnus smiled at the look of relief that Simon and Clary exchanged.

“Good. I don't get it though. I mean what you do is pretty spectacular, so…” Simon was more relaxed, waving his biscotti around to accentuate his point.

“Well, that's what I said.” Magnus pouted as he put his elbow on the table to rest his head on his hand.

“I bet what you've planned for tonight is pretty epic..” Clary looked at Magnus batting her eyelids.

Magnus leaned back in his chair, a mischievous grin on his face.

“I'm not going to tell you, darling..” Clary pouted slightly.

“You're no fun...anyway, I know it's something to do with those paintings I did for you..” Magnus raised an eyebrow quizzically, as Clary looked at him through narrowed eyes, determined to see some sort of reaction. “And I know that Mom and Luke are up to something…”

“Are they really..?” Magnus shrugged nonchalantly.

“Give it up, Clary…” Simon laughed, as Clary frowned in response.

“Fine, whatever. Didn't want to know anyway.” Clary replied, crossing her arms grumpily.

………

“Ready?”

Alec clapped his hands together, chalk dust flying in the air, and stepped into position.

“Ready.” Alec nodded curtly, his face a mask of concentration as Hodge moved behind him.

“Ok then.” Hodge swiftly lifted Alec to reach the bar overhead.

As soon as his hands connected with the fibreglass everything else faded away, every thought and worry honed down to the pure exhilaration of movement. Rotate, twist, catch, release. Years of training had made the action almost instinctive, and the flow of each movement seamlessly merging into the next brought with it a sense of belonging that Alec only really felt when practising.

The routine had taken months to perfect, months of pushing his body to extremes, gradually including more difficult elements with ease. Alec felt the adrenalin coursing through his veins as he wound up to the dismount, the one part he hadn't nailed yet. This time it was so close, the landing only slightly marred by standing a little too soon and taking a small step backwards.

The sound of loud clapping brought Alec back to reality and as he glanced up he saw his sister leaning against the pommel horse, smiling.

“That was incredible. Great job,big brother” Izzy grinned.

“She’s right, you know.” Hodge patted Alec's shoulder as he walked past. “Gimme a sec and we’ll go through the video, OK?” Hodge unscrewed the camera from the tripod it was standing on.

“OK.” Alec nodded, before Hodge turned to leave the training room.

Alec began unstrapping his leather handgrips as he turned back to his sister.

“You look different.” WIth his left eye closed slightly, he looked over at his younger sibling taking in the black calf length dress, skintight of course, which was remarkably modest compared to what she normally wore. Her hair was pulled back into a severe high ponytail and her normal flamboyant makeup was decidedly toned down. “I thought you were out tonight.”

“Yeah, apparently my profile is not classy enough, so Mom’s dragging me to some art gallery opening, hence..” Izzy indicated the outfit, rolling her eyes.

“You, at an art gallery..” Alec stifled a smile.

“Hey, I'm cultured you know..” Izzy held a hand to her chest. “Of course, she doesn't know they're filming there tonight..”

“Izzy..” Alec shook his head in exasperation.

“What? It's good publicity, after all that's what she wants, isn't it?” Izzy batted her eyelashes innocently. “Anyway, don't I deserve some fun..?”

“Like fun is an issue for you.” This time it was Alec's turn to roll his eyes.

His sister was constantly partying, honestly sometimes just watching her made him tired. Granted his parents didn't approve, but as long as Isabelle kept winning gold medals and pulling in lucrative sponsorship deals, they tolerated her behaviour. He only wished they did the same for him, but apparently being the oldest meant he had to be the consummate professional at all times.

“You should come..you really need to get out more, brother dearest. Seriously, all this training and no relaxation and you’ll end up exploding, and not in a good way..” Izzy teased.

“Yeah, like that’s gonna happen.” Alec moved over to the benches at the side of the training room to grab a hoodie.

“Ah, c’mon Alec. You didn't even ask what they were filming…”The High Warlock of Brooklyn”...tempted now?”

Izzy giggled as Alec froze, grateful his back was towards her so she couldn't fully see him blushing like some goddam schoolgirl. He’d tried his best to hide his borderline obsession with Magnus Bane, but when Jace had found his box sets of the TV show, the cat had been well and truly let out of the bag. He had hoped that his siblings might’ve given up by now, but apparently he wasn't that lucky.

“Yeah well, I don't think it’s likely that Mom would allow it anyway. You know, black sheep of the family and all that..” Alec shrugged before turning round, pulling his hoodie on.

“I know, I know.” Izzy smiled sympathetically. “And I try so hard to be the biggest disappointment as well..”

Alec couldn't help but laugh.

“Anyway, the whole thing is ridiculous.” There was no mistaking the fire in his sister’s eyes as she spoke.

“Iz..”

“Well it's true..” Izzy pouted. “Seriously, Alec come with us..I'll refuse to go if you don't ..”

Izzy folded her arms resolutely as Alec opened his mouth to reply, but luckily the sharp clacking of high heels, indicating the arrival of Maryse Lightwood, somewhat saved him.

Ignoring Isabelle she walked directly towards Alec, who found himself unintentionally straightening, practically standing to attention. Hodge followed behind, iPad in hand, and a somewhat apologetic look on his face before moving to the far end of the training room and busying himself with checking equipment, deliberately out of earshot.

“Hodge has just shown me the latest video Alexander and I am pleased to see some improvement.” Maryse pursed her lips as she spoke, arms folded.

“Improvement, are you serious? Did you even watch the video, those Kovacs and Cassinas were on point..” Maryse span back to look at Izzy, as if only just noticing her there. His sister was standing with her hands on her hips, glaring at their mother in response.

“Thank you for your input, Isabelle, but there is nothing wrong with my eyesight.” Maryse aimed a withering look at her daughter, before returning her intense gaze to Alec. “ As I was saying, your form is acceptable but that step on the landing was simply sloppy.”

“Yeah, ‘cos everyone can land a quadruple pike perfectly.” Izzy muttered under her breath. Maryse chose to ignore her.

“As I'm sure you’re aware, we have six months to the world championships and I expect perfection by then. There’s good reason why the Institute is so highly thought of, and, as Lightwoods, we must uphold those standards.” Alec nodded stiffly in response as Maryse finally turned towards Izzy, eyeing her outfit critically. “Well at least you look respectable for once, Isabelle. Right well, your father and Victor are meeting us outside in ten minutes, don't be late.”

“I thought Alec could come with us too, you know, raise his profile..” Isabelle stared defiantly at her mother.

“I think your brother has done quite enough to raise his profile, as you say, with that poorly judged dalliance with that..that…” Maryse snapped.

“Raj..his name was Raj.” Alec clenched his fists by his side, trying to keep his temper.

“I am quite aware, thank you Alexander.” Maryse threw a venomous look over her shoulder at him. “And to answer your question Isabelle, no your brother will not be joining us. I have a responsibility to every other student here and I will not let your childish naïveté damage our reputation as the foremost training school in the country, are we clear?”

“Mom…” Isabelle pleaded.

“That is enough. You and Jace are the public representatives of this establishment, and I expect you to live up to those roles. Alec will do as he's always done, perform to the best of his ability and no more. This is the best way of ensuring the future for all of you.”

“It's OK, Iz.” Alec muttered softly.

“Ten minutes, Isabelle,” Maryse snapped, before striding purposefully out of the room.

“What the hell is wrong with her?” Izzy muttered under her breath.

“Honestly, it's just not worth it..” Alec felt himself relax as his mother left the room.

“Yeah, but it's ridiculous. I mean there’s lots of companies that would want to sponsor you, and she just blocks every one..” Alec rolled his eyes at his sister. “No, don't do that. There are, I know it. I mean face facts, you're super hot and talented, runs in the family..”

“Ok, I get it already.” Seeing the look of concern on his sister's face, he pulled her into a hug, chin resting on the top of her head. “So I'm missing out on photo shoots and press calls, however will I cope..”

Izzy chuckled softly.

“Well..I suppose when you put it like that.” Izzy pulled back a little to look up at his face. “It’s not really you, is it?”

“Not even slightly.” Alec shrugged. “Yep, more than happy to leave that up to you and Jace..”

“Speaking of Jace, where is he? Maybe I could drag him along..”

“Not a chance, he’s off on a run. Sorry sis, you're on your own with this one..” Alec smirked, releasing her from the hug.

“Fine, whatever. All the more Magnus Bane for me..” Izzy waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

“Iz…” Alec warned.

“Oh, don’t worry, silly..” Izzy grinned as she batted his arm playfully. “I know you like him. I would never…”

“No I don't..” Alec ran his fingers through his hair, while Izzy's smirk grew wider. “I don't. I just like the show..Magnus is.. quite magical..I mean really good at magic…”

Alec felt himself flush dramatically as Izzy burst into laughter.

“Perhaps it's better you don't come after all..” She managed to say.

“Whatever.” Alec pouted, feigning upset but knowing full well, if he ever came face to face with anyone as beautiful as Magnus Bane, he would be certain to make a complete fool of himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izzy arrives at the art gallery and Magnus is quite magical

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So....I finally made it....I'm so so sorry this took a while but I hope that things will speed up soon...
> 
> Thank you so much for your support on the first chapter and I hope you enjoy this...
> 
> I am such a nerd that I spent ages researching street magic to find the perfect trick...I thoroughly recommend Dynamo to see the tricks performed ;-)

By the time they got back to the gallery it was rapidly approaching six o’clock. What had started as a quick coffee had become something else entirely when another customer in Java Jones had inevitably recognised Magnus from the TV. On the plus side, all his new tricks had kept Clary suitably occupied and her stress levels had only really spiked when she realised just how late it was.

“God I should know better. I can't believe I got so distracted. There's only a couple of hours ‘till we open and there's just so much to do.” Clary rushed ahead, arms swinging wildly as she power walked back to the gallery.

Magnus and Simon trailed behind knowing better than to argue with Clary when she was in that kind of mood.

She stormed through the entrance, door slamming open and quickly skidded to a halt. Rushing up to her, Simon barely noticed his surroundings as he focused on Clary standing there, hand over her mouth and tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

“Clary. Talk to me, are you Ok?” Simon looked around, desperately searching for Luke or Jocelyn, before noticing the scene around him. “Whoa….oh my god, this place looks incredible.”

Magnus couldn't help but smile to himself as he caught up. It was always the same with the pair of them, Clary would go storming into situations like a bull in a china shop and Simon would rush after her like a concerned mother hen.

“See Biscuit, I told you it’d be fine.” Magnus said playfully nudging her shoulder.

“Fine ok..” Clary pouted slightly before breaking into a grin. “It looks amazing doesn't it?”

Magnus smiled softly as he looked around. The bare brick walls of the gallery were filled with Clary's vivid canvasses and smothered in twinkling fairy lights, giving an almost mystical feel entirely in keeping with her artwork. Over in one corner, Magnus’ friend Maia was setting up refreshments and opposite, Simon’s bandmate Maureen was fiddling with her keyboard.

“So I take it you approve.” Jocelyn appeared at Clary's shoulder, closely followed by Luke.

“I love it.” Clary practically flung herself into her mother’s arms, reaching out with one arm to drag Luke into a group hug, whilst he held out his other arm and fist bumped Magnus.

Maureen looked up from her keyboard, and seeing Simon, burst into a wide smile and waved.

“I should go help set up..” Simon waved back at his bandmate. “It looks really good Clary.”

“And I should show you everything, I know you want everything to be perfect, honey.” Jocelyn pulled back from Clary a little, leaving an arm around her shoulder to guide her daughter around.

“Hey Clary, don't forget to come and find me in makeup, I’ll make sure the star of the show looks fabulous..” Magnus winked as the pair of them disappeared, Clary still beaming happily.

“I see Simon still hasn't worked it out.” Luke nodded across to where Maureen was fussing around him.

“Bless him, not a clue..Poor Maureen.” Magnus laughed. “Anyway, are we all set up?”

……….

To say the car journey to the gallery had been awkward would be somewhat of an understatement. As usual Maryse was intent on micromanaging every aspect of the evening, describing in great detail exactly who Isabelle was expected to talk to and what to say.

Apparently her mother expected several high profile members of the gymnastic world to be there, which made sense when she’d heard that the artist showing tonight was Clarissa Fray, daughter of Jocelyn Fray and step daughter of Luke Garroway, both of whom had been heavily involved in the sport in their youth.

“Fine, whatever, I get it.” Izzy muttered under her breath.

“Isabelle Lightwood, for once, can you just do what I ask?” Maryse huffed before turning to stare out of the car window.

“Izzy honey, we don't have to stay long..” As usual her father, Robert, was the one who tried to calm the waters between them.

“But we’re staying for the filming, right?” Honestly, the one thing that would get her through this was the thought of seeing Magnus Bane.

“Filming? No one mentioned anything about filming.” Maryse looked pointedly at Victor Aldertree.

“Well yes, by all accounts they're filming for ‘The High Warlock of Brooklyn’. I thought..” Victor began, only for Maryse to interrupt.

“Well, we shall leave well before that. The whole point of this evening is to portray class and not turn it into some sideshow carnival.” Maryse folded her arms firmly.

“Maryse..hear him out.” Robert warned.

“Whilst I agree that we are trying to show a different side of Isabelle’s character, the way I see it, being part of a popular TV show can only be a positive.” Victor replied calmly.

“At least people will see her there.” Robert agreed.

“Hmm” Maryse pursed her lips.

“Free advertising, Mom.” Izzy shrugged, determined to look as if it didn't bother her either way.

……

Magnus reclined back in his makeup chair and checked out his reflection carefully, taking in every detail, from the bright red highlights in his hair to the expertly applied kohl around his eyes and glitter highlighter.

“Lily, you are, as ever, a superstar.” Magnus winked at the makeup artist, who smiled contentedly in response.

“Hey, room for some more?” The door to the trailer burst open and Clary, Simon and Maureen all peered though.

“Seriously, all three of you?” Lily sighed as the three of them nodded enthusiastically. “Fine, c’mon then.”

“You too, Steven?” Magnus raised an eyebrow.

“Well yeah, you know, TV lights and all that..” Simon looked somewhat sheepish.

“Who says you’ll even be on film..” Magnus teased. “Ok fine, you will, but please tell me you're not calling yourself Champagne Enema anymore because there is no way in hell I'm crediting you, if you are.”

“Nah, we’re Rock Solid Panda now.” Simon responded proudly.

“Yeah we are..” Maureen grinned.

“Well I suppose it’s a slight improvement.” Magnus muttered, as Clary stifled a laugh.

……..

After what felt like hours of pointless schmoozing, Izzy managed to slip away from her mother whilst she was deep in conversation with Imogen Herondale, a noted gymnastic judge.

“God, I need a drink.” She leaned heavily on the makeshift bar.

“That bad?” The woman behind the bar smiled sympathetically.

“You don't know the half of it.” Izzy accepted a glass of champagne. “If I have to smile anymore I think I'm gonna get jaw cramp.”

The bartender laughed.

“Thanks for this.” Izzy waggled the glass. “I'm Izzy, by the way..”

“Maia, and yeah, I know who you are.” Izzy leaned back against the bar. “So I take it you're not having fun.”

“You could say that. I mean my mother seems to be determined to keep me away from anyone interesting. I haven't even had a chance to congratulate the artist, and let’s be honest, these paintings are amazing. Kinda thought that was the point, but apparently not.” Izzy sighed, why was she even here if she didn't seem interested in the actual art. “Then, Magnus Bane is over there doing something incredible but no, can't possibly see that. Sorry, I'm just a bit salty.”

“I take it you're a fan of Magnus.”

“Seriously, who isn't? He’s amazing.”

“Two secs, let me get him over here. I know he’d love to meet you.” Maia looked over to Magnus, and catching his eye, nodded towards Izzy.

“Maia, hey.” The dark haired guitarist from the band rushed over, taking a break from his set. “I don't suppose you’ve got a beer?”

Maia smiled back fondly before turning towards the mini fridge behind her.

“Great set.” Izzy smiled at the man, head tilted coquettishly.

“Oh yeah, thanks” The man looked up, a look of shock rapidly taking over his expression. “Woah, you're Isabelle Lightwood.”

“I am.” Izzy grinned back.

“Oh my god. I mean hello, you're awesome...at the last olympics, just incredible and you know.. like.. you're here. I totally didn't expect that, but you know, it's good to meet you and all..” he replied anxiously, fiddling with his glasses whilst Maia stifled a laugh before moving off to serve someone else.

“Do you always talk this much?” Izzy teased.

“Only when I'm nervous, or well anxious or..yeah, pretty much..I'm Simon by the way.” Simon extended a somewhat shaky hand.

“Nice to meet you Simon.” Izzy shook hands and smiled back. “So you seem to know a few people here..”

“Um yeah, I guess I do. Clary and I’ve been best friends for like ever, you know, so there’s that..oh, I mean, you know it’s Clary’s show, just in case..but yeah, you probably know that and I'm babbling again.”

“Little bit.” Izzy grinned, holding her forefinger and thumb close together. “It's kinda cute..”

“It is..? I mean really..? No..I…” Simon was bearing an uncanny resemblance to a tomato, he’d gone so red, and Izzy couldn't help but chuckle.

“Hey Scott, you Ok?” Simon was saved from saying more by the timely arrival of Magnus, who patted the younger man's shoulder.

“I thought your name was Simon..” Izzy crinkled her brows in confusion.

“It is..Magnus seriously. can you stop doing that..please..” Simon pleaded.

“Sorry Saul .” Magnus winked as Simon rolled his eyes.

“Wait, you know Magnus Bane too..” There was no mistaking the ease between the pair of men in front of her and it was clear to Izzy they knew each other well.

“Yeah, he’s pretty much Clary’s brother..didn't have much choice.” Simon poked his tongue out at Magnus, who just laughed in response.

“I'm wounded, Sheldon..” Magnus held his hand to his chest dramatically.

“Yeah whatever, anyway I should..” Simon indicated over his shoulder to where Maureen was watching the exchange with a slight scowl on her face. “Umm yeah Magnus, Isabelle Lightwood and..well, you know the rest.”

Simon practically sprinted away, seemingly glad to escape.

“Oh darling, I know exactly who you are.” Magnus grinned, extending a hand for Isabelle to shake. “As if I wouldn't have heard of the _enfant_ _terrible_ of gymnastics. A woman after my own heart..”

Isabelle giggled as Magnus kissed the back of her hand.

“So tell me, is he always like that..?” She glanced over Magnus’ shoulder, where a rather flustered looking Simon was trying to sort out his guitar.

“Always..” Magnus laughed.

“He’s kinda nerd hot..” Izzy muttered under her breath.

“Oooh, I like you.” Magnus guffawed before moving in a little closer. “Just between us, Simon is a great guy, but if you tell him that, I’ll deny it till my dying day.”

“Hmmm I don't know...tell you what, I’ll keep schtum for a price.” Izzy grinned.

“Ah, depends on the price..” Magnus raised an eyebrow.

Izzy held a finger up and rummaged in her bag, pulling out her phone.

“Selfie?”

“Sounds like the perfect deal…” Magnus grabbed the phone from Izzy as the pair posed for a picture.

Taking the phone back, Izzy grinned as she checked her screen and tapped away on it.

“And sent...my brother is going to flip out, he's quite the fan..”

“Really..the blonde one or the tall brooding one?” Magnus asked nonchalantly.

“Tall and brooding...yep that’s pretty much Alec..” Izzy laughed as she watched Magnus closely, swearing that she saw a flicker of pleasure flare in his eyes before it was gone. _Interesting_.

Before either of them had a chance to say more, Izzy noticed Maryse had seen the pair of them talking.

“Oh crap.” She rolled her eyes dramatically “Can't I have any fun..?”

Magnus just tilted his head in question.

“My mother..giving me evils..” She explained.

“Let me guess, the one who looks like she’s sucking a lemon?” Magnus glanced over.

“Uh-huh..” Izzy nodded. “I guess I’ll have to head over to her..”

“Not necessarily…” Magnus looked over to his cameraman. “Hey Raph..time to work.”

There was no mistaking the huff of indignation from the man in question as he started to walk over.

“She wouldn't interrupt if you're on film, right?” Magnus grinned wickedly.

“No, she would not.” Izzy smiled happily.

“Oh and just ignore Raphael, he’s naturally grumpy..” Magnus teased as his friend arrived.

………..

Alec had just finished going through the video with Hodge when his phone pinged, indicating a snapchat from Izzy. Excusing himself, he headed over to the hallway, and grabbing an energy drink from the vending machine, leaned against the wall to open the message.

In seconds his screen was filled with the image of Magnus and Izzy grinning at the camera and Alec couldn't look away. Unconsciously, he ran his finger over Magnus’ face.

 _C’mon_ _Lightwood, get a grip_.

What is was about Magnus that turned him into a gibbering idiot he didn't know but, by the angel, he was just too beautiful.

Alec was so lost in thought he didn't hear Jace approach until his brother had grabbed the phone from his hand and was dancing away, holding it out of reach.

“C’mon Jace..give it back..” Alec pleaded.

“Wait, what've we got here that’s got you grinning like an idiot?” Jace teased as Alec tried to grab the phone back. “Woah...Izzy’s with Magnus Bane..”

“Jace..” Alec warned letting his arms drop in defeat.

“Bro..we’ve gotta go join her..” Jace grinned.

“No. We. Do. Not.” Alec gritted out.

“Ah c’mon..I'm gonna text her..”

“Don't you dare..” Alec took advantage of Jace’s distraction to grab his phone back.

Jace pouted slightly before reaching into his fleece and pulling out his phone with a flourish and tapping away on it as he jogged down the corridor, with Alec in hot pursuit.

“There, done..” Jace turned and grinned smugly back.

“You didn’t..”

“Totally did. It’s for you own good. Anyway, he’s probably a jerk, so at least you can get it out of your system…even if he is very good with his hands” Jace leered as he wiggled his fingers.

………..

  
“I really think we must plan a shopping trip together sometime, my dear.” Magnus smiled at Izzy.

They’d been chatting on camera for about half an hour, Magnus having insisted they have lots of footage to chose from and Isabelle being more than grateful for the break. As it turned out, they had a lot in common and even after such a brief acquaintance, Izzy felt they'd know each other for years.

“I'm told I'm excellent company. I tell you what, I don't suppose you have any receipts in that adorable bag of yours? Then, I can show you why.…” Izzy raised a questioning eyebrow before grabbing her purse.

“Actually I do...You're up to something..” She grinned as she produced the small slip of paper as if in victory.

“I don't know what you mean, darling..” Magnus batted his eyelashes in mock innocence before taking the receipt and flattening it out on the palm of his left hand. “You have excellent taste, Christian Louboutin nail polish no less..now, I wonder which colour?”

“Red of course, silly.” Magnus smiled softly at Izzy as she wiggled her short but perfectly manicured fingernails at him, all painted blood red.

“Naturally. So this receipt is for the bottle and the amount is..” Magnus squinted at the receipt before offering it towards Izzy to check over.

“$50..I know, I know, but the bottle is so adorable…” Izzy shrugged sheepishly as Magnus laughed.

“Very true.” Laying his left palm flat again, he ran his right hand over it the fingers rolling in an elegant wave, before looking Izzy straight in the eyes. “Now watch closely.”

Magnus grinned, jerking his left hand sharply upwards for what felt like a split second. Where the receipt had been now sat a perfect $50 note which he picked up and handed over to an awestruck Izzy.

“See! I'm the ultimate shopping companion” He smiled.

“How..what...I..” For once, Izzy was lost for words. Watching Magnus’ TV show was one thing but seeing it right in front of her eyes was something else entirely.

“I'm afraid, my dear, that's my cue to go…” Magnus indicated over his shoulder to where Ragnor was tapping his watch.

“Huh…?” Izzy looked up, before snapping back to reality.

“My manager over there..” He indicated to the back of the room, and when Izzy turned to look, he leaned in a little. “Ragnor’s the one waving his arms around like an angry octopus.”

Over the other side of the room, a middle aged man wearing a tweed suit was rolling his eyes and gesticulating.

“You've got something big planned..” Izzy tapped Magnus’ arm lightly.

“Maybe..” He winked before starting to move off, only pausing at the last moment. “Oh, I almost forgot, do you have your phone? I’ll give you my number..”

Izzy grabbed her phone from the bar behind her and went to hand it to Magnus.

“Lovely. You don't mind if I take this off..” Magnus indicated the bright butterfly case on Izzy’s phone.

“No..” Izzy replied, suspiciously narrowing her eyes.

Deftly, he removed the case and handed it back offering her the phone to enter the unlock code before taking it back to type in his number.

“There, perfect..now we need to keep this safe, don't we ….?” Magnus looked around him, and catching sight of an empty champagne bottle on the bar, grabbed it.

Izzy felt herself leaning in, determined to catch what Magnus was up to..

Magnus frowned slightly, holding the bottle in one hand and the phone in the other, before smashing his hands together in a grand gesture, but instead of shattering glass, the bottle remained intact. When he handed the bottle back to Isabelle, the phone was now inside it.

“Seriously…?” Izzy gasped as she shook the bottle, as if to prove to herself it was actually in there.

“Hmm..actually, do you want to check it’s ok? I mean I don't want to have damaged it now, do I?” Magnus held up a finger as he fished in his jacket pocket, retrieving his own mobile, complete with glittery phone case, and handing over. “Also, this way I have your number too.”

Izzy rapidly tapped in her number and pressed the call button before Magnus took his phone back.

The phone in the bottle rang out, screen lighting up with the selfie they’d taken earlier, with the name Magnus Bane just visible through the green glass.

“Oh, and Isabelle dear...do bring that delicious brother of yours with you next time…” Magnus whispered in her ear before striding off to the sound of appreciative applause.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So next time .... Ragnor has an idea, Magnus performs his showstopper and Izzy returns to the institute...
> 
> As ever I love to hear what you think...
> 
> I'm also on tumblr @the-burning-tiger 
> 
> Tigs xox


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Magnus finishes off his evening in the gallery and Jace and Alec hang out before Izzy gets home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so here we go with the next chapter...hopefully, now I've finished with my other fic I'll be able to update more frequently...I'll certainly try :-)

As expected, by the time he reached Ragnor, his manager was bordering on one of his traditional meltdowns.

“About time. Seriously Magnus, we are running on a schedule here. Poor Dorothea’s been ready for hours and…” Ragnor moved from foot to foot and waved his arms elaborately as he ranted.

“Listen my little peapod, just relax for five minutes...I was working on something..” Magnus did his best to placate his friend but couldn't resist teasing him with the nickname he loathed, one that referred to Ragnor’s ill fated decision in college to dye his hair green.

“Don't call me that.” Ragnor gritted out as Magnus smirked back. “If you call chatting up Isabelle Lightwood ‘working on something’ then you and I have very different ideas on…”

“Chatting up…” Magnus laughed, interrupting Ragnor’s flow once again. “Don't be silly. I like her but I rather think she and I are far too alike. It’d be almost like dating myself and even I’m not _that_ narcissistic.”

Magnus chose to ignore Ragnor’s eye roll and raised eyebrow and instead, carried on talking.

“No, I was thinking that she would be perfect as a guest for the show, seeing as you’re all insisting on adding in celebrities. Anyway, I rather think her interest lies elsewhere.” Magnus nodded his head to the other side of the room where Simon was laughing and joking with Clary and Maureen.

“Really? Him? What is it with that fellow?” Ragnor muttered under his breath.

“He’s a nice guy. You might want to try it sometime you grumpy old goat.” Magnus teased, Ragnor only responding with a disgruntled huff. “ Anyway I'm ready now..”

Magnus turned and grabbed a champagne flute from a tray being carried by one of the serving staff, and under Ragnor’s disapproving gaze, necked his drink. Positioning himself facing the far wall, back towards the entrance, he tapped a ring against the empty glass to get the crowds attention.

Satisfied that everyone’s focus was solely on him he began to speak.

…………

  
Isabelle was still staring at her phone-in-a-bottle with confusion when Maia reappeared.

“Ah that one, yeah he’s done that to me too. Let me tell you, it’s a pain to get out..” Maia chuckled.

“Oh god, I hadn't thought about that..” Izzy scrunched her brows in concentration, only stopping when Maia tapped her arm lightly and indicated to where Magnus was standing.

“He’s up to something, isn't he?” Izzy sighed, noticing the glint in Magnus’ eyes, even at this distance.

“Always.” Maia shrugged, tilting her head to one side and grinning broadly. “This’ll be the big one though, enjoy.”

Maia put her elbows on the bar and rested her head on her hands ready to enjoy the show, as Izzy leant back, watching Magnus in rapt attention.

“Welcome everyone. I have to say it’s amazing to see so many of your beautiful faces here and I would like to personally thank every one of you.” Magnus’ voice carried easily over the crowds and his stage presence was undeniable as there wasn't a single person there not watching him intently.

“So as you all know, we’re here today to celebrate the work of an amazing artist. Clary where are you?” Magnus raised his hand to shield his eyes as he scanned the crowd for her.

“C’mon Clary, step forward.” Magnus beckoned her and Clary stepped towards him, shaking her head in embarrassment but smiling from ear to ear.

“A round of applause for the wonderful Clarissa Fray, don't you think?” Instantly the crowd burst into applause and Clary blushed. Beside Magnus Raphael continued filming, stepping back to take a panoramic shot of the crowds.

“Also, it’s nice to see so many sold stickers around the place, but there’s still a few pieces left so best be quick to claim your favourite while you can.” Magnus paused slightly, and looking down at Clary winked at her making her giggle. “Only leave that one over there, that one’s mine..”

There was a soft murmur of laughter flowing over the crowd as they turned to look at the painting Magnus had indicated. It was a vibrant oil painting of lush undergrowth, the leaves so realistically painted they almost seemed to be moving in the breeze. In the middle of the picture, against the background of verdant greens, an arm stretched out from the bushes, stained with russets, browns and oranges as the the hand extended forward, fingers reaching out. Every colour in the picture was brought out by the thick gilt frame surrounding it, the gold perfectly mirroring the bold colours.

Izzy glanced back to see Magnus pull Clary into a one arm hug before snapping his fingers with a cheeky smile.

Instantaneously, dry ice started to surround the painting in a soft white cloud. Izzy squinted her eyes to watch more closely, the crowds had parted and moved back from the painting and the unmistakable sound of whispering filled the room as Magnus seemed to flow through the crowds.

Izzy rubbed her eyes roughly before looking back. She could’ve sworn she’d seen the painting move but that couldn't be right, could it?

As she watched, Magnus paused in front of the painting, examining it closely before stepping back dramatically, spreading his arms out wide.

This time there was no mistaking it. The painting moved. The fingertips on the canvas seemed to extend forward. Magnus had his head tilted to one side, stroking his goatee thoughtfully before seeming to make up his mind and stepping forward.

The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop as he seemed to reach into the painting with his right hand before pulling back, only this time his hand was entangled in another’s. Slowly, as Magnus swayed dramatically in front of the painting, everyone was transfixed as a figure gradually emerged, revealing itself to be a woman, her fawn skin covered in splodges of paint and her black hair slicked back off her face which was covered in glitter and dramatic makeup.

Magnus moved his hands to the woman’s waist as her whole body was unveiled, holding her up until she crouched with her toes resting on the picture frame, covered in a flesh coloured body suit covered with similar paint smears.

The crowd gasped as the pair held their position perfectly, looking at each other with apparent confusion. Izzy could see Magnus’ biceps bulging under the strain before he moved to let the woman onto the floor.

Gracefully the woman stood and surveyed the crowd before Magnus grasped her hand to lead her away.

Having taken a few steps Magnus paused, holding a finger up to the woman who waited as he turned back to the painting, which now looked exactly the same as it had before, except that there was no longer an arm there, and lifted it casually off the wall, hooking it under his arm.

Giggling, Magnus and the woman sprinted towards the exit, leaving the awestruck crowd behind. Seconds after they'd gone the crowd erupted, the room filled with sounds of laughter and clapping.

A young man stepped forward to look at where the painting had been and soon a crowd joined him, declaring their astonishment as they found nothing but the bare brick wall there.

Isabelle was about to join them when she heard someone clear their throat loudly behind her .

“Isabelle Lightwood?” Hearing the clipped British accent, Izzy glanced over her shoulder to see the tweed clad man Magnus had pointed out earlier.

“Ok I’ll bite…” Izzy spun round to face him, raising a quizzical eyebrow.

“Hello, I'm Ragnor Fell, Magnus’ manager..” Ragnor extended a hand which Izzy shook firmly.

“Yes, he said..” Izzy smiled

“Of course he did, no doubt said something rude as well” Ragnor huffed as he rolled his eyes and Izzy had to stifle a laugh. “Anyway I rather think I have an offer for you, should you be interested….”

……..

Ordinarily Alec should’ve been able to relax after an hour had passed with no response from Izzy, but seeing as Jace’s phone was constantly buzzing with incoming texts, his nerves were frayed to bits by the time it got to 10 o'clock.

It’d been hard enough to convince Izzy not to drag him along but at least then he’d had the fact that his parents and Victor were going with her in his favour. Persuading Jace would be something else entirely, because as Alec well knew, his brother was bull headed and persistent even on his best days. Added to that there was a huge part of him that actually wanted to go, I mean, who in their right mind could resist the High Warlock of Brooklyn performing live in front of them? In fact, the only thing that was stopping him was the thought that he’d invariably make a complete idiot of himself, at best acting like some stupid fanboy, and at worst losing the power of speech.

Jace, as usual, seemed to be oblivious to Alec’s waring thoughts, halfheartedly focusing on the film he'd suggested whilst simultaneously texting back and forth with some gymnast from the nearby Seelie school who was his current fling-du-jour.

“Alec, do me a favour bro and chill out, will you?” Jace muttered briefly, glancing up from his phone screen.

“I am chilled..” Alec huffed, crossing his arms and slumping back on the sofa they were sitting on, long legs extended out in front of him. Clearly he’d been wrong when he’d thought Jace hadn't noticed his mood, which was just typical of his luck.

“Uh-huh..so why are you jumping every time the phone buzzes?”

“Am not!” Alec pouted.

“Are too.” Jace poked his tongue out.

“Seriously Jace, are we still in kindergarten?” Alec muttered, rolling his eyes.

“Ok then, Mr Mature, if I'm wrong you can tell me what’s been going on in the film then.” Jace turned to look at him, a satisfied smirk plastered all over his face.

“Yeah..well..” Alec ran his fingers through his hair and glanced uncertainly at the screen. “There’s just been lots of car chases...so,”

Obviously he’d not been paying the slightest bit of attention to what was on the screen, but seeing as Jace had insisted on one of the many Fast and Furious films, part of Jace’s continuing obsession with Vin Diesel, it seemed like a safe bet.

“Ha! I knew it..” Jace exclaimed victoriously.

“Well, if you will pick shit films..” Alec mumbled under his breath.

“Take that back..” Jake stared at him open mouthed in mock horror.

“Nope.” Alec sat up, staring back defiantly although he couldn't hide the slight smile playing at the corners of his lips.

“Vin Diesel is an amazing actor…” Jace growled.

“Nope.” Alec broke into a grin.

“Bro, there is a line and you have just crossed it.” Jace grabbed a cushion from beside him and flung it at him.

“Truth hurts..” Alec teased dodging out of the way.

“Oh you’re gonna pay for that..” Jace lunged at him and Alec had a split second to congratulate himself for successfully distracting his brother before he was caught up in the inevitable wrestling match.

Jace was stockier than Alec but what he lacked in bulk he more than made up for in height and the pair were soon rolling around on the floor, desperately trying to pin each other down.

“Boys, boys. Can I not leave you two alone for one evening…?” Alec looked up from his position behind Jace to see Isabelle leaning against the doorframe, hands behind her back and grinning down at them.

“Yeah well, I nearly had him there..” Jace somehow managed to shrug despite Alec's firm grip on him.

“Seriously..” Alec laughed, patting him on the head. Alec was currently sitting behind Jace, legs wrapped around his waist and his head in a firm arm lock.

“Yeah..was going to pull an epic move..” Jace tapped on the arm around his neck and Alec released his grip with a dramatic sigh.

“Anyway...we wouldn't still be here if you replied to your texts.” Jace leapt to his feet and frowned at Izzy.

“Ooh touchy, anyone would think you didn't want to know what happened” Izzy replied in a sing-song voice, making Alec roll his eyes and Jace stare her down defiantly.

“Anyway, I have a valid excuse for that.” Izzy grinned and produced the champagne bottle from behind her back with a suitably theatrical flourish. “Ta da!”

“Huh..” Jace’s brow furrowed in confusion but Alec knew instantly what was going on and barged his brother out of the way.

Taking the bottle from Izzy with almost reverential care he examined it closely, finding exactly what he’d expected to see.

“Seriously…?” He whispered, awestruck.

“Hell yeah..” Izzy smirked.

“Wait, what?” Jace grabbed the bottle from Alec who frowned in response. “Iz, is that your phone in there…?”

“Finally, he gets it.” Izzy sniggered.

“Yeah well not all of us are obsessed with Magnus Bane, you know.” Jace pouted, turning the bottle in his hands, trying to work out how it’d got in there.

“So, you met him..” Alec chose to ignore his brother’s antics, anxious to hear what had happened.

Izzy smiled enigmatically, and moving to sit down on the sofa, patted the space next to her.

“Yep...and he is amazing..” She grinned.

Reluctantly Jace settled down, and when Izzy was satisfied that both her brothers were suitably attentive, she began to relay the evening’s events. Obviously Magnus had made quite the impression if the animation with which his sister spoke was anything to go by, and Alec felt completely mesmerised by her description of all that had happened.

“Wow...so out of the actual painting.” Alec gasped and Izzy nodded.

“Fake painting, fake wall.” Jace shrugged unimpressed.

“Yeah but it’d been there all night, people had looked at it and seriously you have no idea what these art types are like, when I say looked at it, I mean got in real close and peered at the brush strokes.” Izzy seemed determined to defend Magnus at every turn and Alec just sat back and enjoyed the banter between his siblings.

“So? He switched it then..” Jace was determined to have the last word.

“Yeah, but it was on show all the way through. Even so, that doesn't explain how someone came through it. I mean he took the painting off the wall afterwards, and I looked myself, there was nothing..” Izzy poked her tongue out, having said her piece.

“Well, that’s probably ‘cos you didn't look hard enough...Ouch!” Jace complained as Izzy hit him on the arm.

“You deserved that.” Alec muttered under his breath, earning a scowl from his brother.

“Well, there has to be some trick to it..I bet I’d spot it.” Jace huffed.

“Yeah, yeah...well you’ll get your chance soon enough…” Izzy shrugged sitting back on the sofa.

“Huh?” Jace furrowed his brows.

“You didn't let me get to the best bit..” Izzy smirked.

“Iz…” Alec knew that tone far too well, his sister was up to something and that could never be a good thing.

“Ok, so after the show Ragnor, that’s Magnus’ manager by the way, came up to me.” Izzy seemed determined to milk this for everything she could and quite frankly, it was getting a little annoying.

“And?” Jace pushed her.  
,  
“Well apparently the studio want to have celebrities on the show every week, something about boosting ratings, although why they need to do that I don't know..” Alec waved her to continue, trying to hide his exasperation.

“Alright, alright, jeez you guys have no patience, I mean literally none…” Izzy pouted before continuing “So anyway, Ragnor suggested Magnus visit the Institute for the show..”

“Magnus Bane...here…” Alec paled, feeling an undeniable mix of excitement and pure fear.

“Yes. Cool, eh?” Izzy beamed and even Jace seemed excited. “I thought you’d be pleased Alec..”

The slightly hurt look on his sister’s face did exactly what she intended it to, make him feel like the worst brother ever.

“Look, yeah ok, you know it’d be good...well, great….but Iz, don't you see there is absolutely no way that Mom and Dad would ever allow it..” Alec tried his best to placate her.

“I know, I know. But here’s the good bit. I told Ragnor that and told him to sort it all out with Victor and I just know he’ll see it for the great advertising it is, even if Mom and Dad don't..” Izzy soon regained her sense of excitement confirming to Alec that she had, in fact, been trying to guilt him.

“She’s right, you know. Anyway, Victor’s head of PR so they’ll have no choice but to agree with him or the board of directors will get involved and there’s no way they’ll want that to happen.” Jace agreed.

Alec shook his head in defeat, like it or not, there was a good chance that Izzy’s plan would work out.

“So Magnus is coming here then..” Jace smirked as he elbowed him in the ribs.

“Yeah, to see Izzy..” Alec mumbled.

Izzy smiled happily to herself, apparently having not heard Alec’s comment. Standing up she grabbed the bottle from the floor, where Jace had unceremoniously dropped it.

“Well I'm gonna go get my phone back anyway.” She grinned as she sashayed towards the door, only turning back to her brothers to deliver her parting shot. “Oh and Alec, thought you might like to know, Magnus knows exactly who you are….”

“What..?” Alec spluttered, turning bright crimson.

“Oh yeah...He called you the tall brooding one…” Izzy winked giggling as she left.

“I do _not_ brood..” Alec shouted after her, only hearing her laughter fading as she walked down the corridor.

“You kinda do..” Jace muttered.

“Shut up Jace.” Alec snapped, as Jace sniggered in the background.

 _Oh dear god Magnus Bane was coming to the Institute. **He was so screwed**_.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...Magnus is going to visit the institute....:-D
> 
> I promise Magnus' illusion is perfectly possible - i worked out how to do it before I wrote it...
> 
> Anyway hope you enjoyed it and as ever I always love to here what you think...
> 
> Love and hugs
> 
> Tigs


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus arrives at the institute...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So .... I wonder what'll happen when our boys finally meet....otherwise known as my way of coping with having to wait a whole week till 2x15 ....
> 
> Anyway I hope you enjoy it and just a quick note to say a huge thank you for all your support. Honestly it means so much you have no idea x

Alec landed strong and steady on the mat, arms extended to his sides and feet firmly planted, holding the pose for a count of five before his shoulders slumped in disappointment.

“Alec, you Ok?” Hodge asked, already knowing the answer. Alec just shrugged and leaned forward to rest his elbows on the pommel horse as he watched Jace go through his floor routine under the close scrutiny of Maryse.

“Yeah, no...I just..wasn't feeling it, you know.” Alec mumbled, never taking his eyes of his brother’s flawless performance. The floor was where Jace really shone, he had the gold medals to prove it and Alec couldn't help but compare the fluid grace with which his brother performed his circles and flairs with his own.

“I could see that.” Hodge came to stand next to him and placed a reassuring arm on his shoulder.

“Honest opinion?” Hodge asked carefully and Alec looked back, left eye slightly closed, before nodding.

“Ok, so technically you are perfect but..” Hodge pointed to where Jace was lining up for one of his many tumbles. “Well look at Jace...he puts everything into every move, it’s instinctive.”

Hodge turned to look at him.

“Now don't get me wrong, rules and technique are important but you need to feel it, I mean really commit. At times you’re too much in your head.” Hodge tapped a finger to his temple to drive home the point. “There’s a reason why you’re pretty much unbeatable on high bar, it’s the one discipline where you really let go.”

Alec rested his head on his hands, mulling over his coach's words. He was right of course, there was a part of him that held back, afraid to let go, thinking of every little criticism his mother would throw in his direction.

“Look, I know today is a bit mad, what with the film crews and all. I tell you what, take a break, get yourself a drink, take five and we’ll work on rings, yeah?” Hodge smiled.

“Yeah..” Alec smiled back weakly before heading out to the hallway.

Everywhere was a flurry of activity, crews setting up lighting and cameras. When Izzy had told them about Magnus visiting he’d never really believed it would happen but now, just two weeks later, it was all too real.

Alec grabbed an energy drink from the vending machine and unscrewed the cap, gulping down a large mouthful. All the disruption wasn't helping him one little bit.

Any hope that he’d have been able to avoid the whole thing was well and truly scotched and he couldn't help but feel that his sister had had more than a little to do with making he sure he was present.

It would be wrong to say he wasn't excited to see what Magnus would do but at the same time he was equally anxious to fade into the background, and he was pretty sure there was no way Izzy would allow _that_ to happen.

Alec shook his head roughly, recapping his drink before striding purposefully back towards Hodge.

_Stop overthinking Lightwood._

Training, that’s what he needed right now and Hodge was right, the rings were the best way for him to focus. Granted, he didn't feel the freedom he did on the high bar, but the precision needed made him focus entirely on the task in hand.

………

Magnus arrived at the Institute bang on time to find Isabelle Lightwood waiting for him at the front door.

“Hello sweetie.” Magnus greeted her with a kiss on both cheeks making her giggle, and even though he couldn't see it, he was pretty sure Raphael would be rolling his eyes as he filmed the exchange.

“Hey Magnus, you ready to impress me..” Izzy smiled impishly. Over the last few weeks he’d got to know her quite well, even meeting up for coffee and shopping one time, and true to his first impression he liked her immensely.

Today Izzy was wearing a relatively plain tracksuit and her hair was pulled back into a severe ponytail but, despite the outfit, she still managed to look effortlessly glamorous.

As she turned to head indoors Magnus had to stifle a laugh as he noticed the large glittery butterfly on the back of her tracksuit top which was so typically Izzy.

“Shall we?” Izzy looked over her shoulder and winked and Magnus stepped up beside her, linking their arms together.

“Most definitely..” He grinned back, following her inside.

“So I thought I’d give you the tour first, if that’s ok?” She glanced up at him and Magnus swore he saw a mischievous glint in her eyes.

_What are you up to Isabelle Lightwood?_ Magnus wondered with amusement as he dutifully followed her lead.

As ever, she was delightful company as she guided him around the training facility, filling him in on all the old stories and bits of gossip.

After a short while Caterina came rushing up to join them, clipboard in hand, her black hair scraped back neatly.

“Ah, you’re here…” She smiled at Magnus.

“Of course, seriously Cat you make it sound like I'm unreliable or something.” Magnus teased gently as Cat shook her head fondly.

“Yes well, everything’s set up.” She replied as Izzy looked expectantly between them.

“Patience my dear, all will be revealed soon enough..” Magnus waggled a finger at Izzy who pouted slightly in response, making Cat laugh softly.

“Alright, so if it’s Ok with you Isabelle, we thought it might be fun to have some footage of you in action before it’s Magnus’ turn.” Cat turned to Izzy.

“Sounds good..”

“Excellent...Raph, cameras are all set up in the training room, is that good for you?” Cat glanced over to where Raph was carrying his handheld camera, his normal scowl firmly in place.

“Beats carrying this thing around.” He grumbled.

“Oh you love it..” Magnus laughed as Raphael replied with a dramatic huff and eye roll before striding ahead of them to take his position at one of the stationary cameras to film their arrival.

He wasn't exactly sure what he was expecting from the training room, perhaps a more polished version of a regular gym, but as Isabelle dramatically opened the double doors he couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

Through the doors was a cavernous space filled with gymnastic equipment and brightly coloured crash mats and foam pits. The large stained glass windows added to the colourful atmosphere, a reminder of the Institute’s past incarnation as a church.

In one corner, someone was working with a group of youngsters who looked barely into their teens, but despite their small statures, they were all performing a complex series of tumbles which Magnus wasn't quite sure should be physically possible.

“Cool, eh?” The sound of Isabelle’s voice next to him brought him back to reality a little and he turned to see her grinning at him.

“It certainly is…” He nodded.

“Hey, look over there..” Izzy patted his bicep gently whilst pointing with her other hand towards the floor area where Jace was lining up for the final part of his routine.

Magnus watched closely as Jace sprinted across before throwing himself into a succession of twists and turns before landing it with a small hop back.

“Was that a quad twist?” Magnus murmured.

“You know gymnastics..” Izzy was clearly impressed.

“Oh yes I'm quite the fan, not that I had a great deal of choice, my foster parents were both involved.” Magnus winked back.

“Oh silly me, Jocelyn and Luke...but yeah, to answer your question, it was a quad. Jace does love making life difficult for himself.” There was no mistaking the look of affection on her face.

“So it would seem..” Magnus muttered under his breath.

Jace, having heard the commotion, looked up and waved, grinning widely before making his way over to the pair of them at a jog, accompanied by a somewhat reluctant Maryse Lightwood.

As Magnus watched them move towards him, a flurry of movement caught his attention. Over in the far corner of the room a familiar looking tall dark haired figure was working on the rings, his body held taught in position before pushing up into a handstand.

For as long as he could remember, his whole family had got together for the big gymnastic events and each of them had their own favourite to support. Unsurprisingly, Clary was a fan of Jace, his need to push the boundaries being his main appeal as far as he could tell, but for Magnus there had always been one athlete that he looked forward to seeing.

_Alexander Gideon Lightwood_.

Obviously the fact that he was incredibly good looking helped, but there was a certain sort of vulnerability in the man that caught his attention, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Now here he was in the same room, watching him in action, and quite frankly, it was mesmerising.

As Magnus watched, he could see Alec building up to his dismount, it wouldn't be as flashy as Jace’s and probably not as difficult but there was no doubt in his mind that it would be technically flawless and all performed with his trademark scowl. Biting his lip slightly, he watched with rapt attention.

“Magnus, hi. It’s good to see you here.” Magnus had to stifle a huff of indignation as his perfect view was obscured by none other than Jace Lightwood. Instead, he plastered on his best smile, knowing full well that he was on camera and shook hands.

“Good to be here.” Magnus replied.

“Oh I'm Jace by the way, but I'm guessing you know that.” Magnus nodded in reply, taking in the faintly smug smile on Jace’s face with a certain sense of satisfaction.

In his family, there was one thing that was almost guaranteed to make Clary and himself resort back to their teenage squabbles, and that thing was watching sports. Since the emergence of the Lightwoods onto the gymnastic scene there was one recurring argument, who was better, Alec or Jace.

Magnus was adamant that Jace was too cocky and overconfident but Clary insisted that he was just misunderstood and that underneath all the bluster there was a sensitive soul just waiting to come out. In return, whenever he tried to defend Alec’s dour ways, Clary was the first to declare that he wasn't shy at all, just a grumpy cat.

Their arguments often got so heated that Luke and Jocelyn had to step in to keep the peace.

Having now met Jace, going on his first impressions which were, in his opinion, rarely wrong, he was entirely right in his assessment of the blonde.

“Thank you, Jace. It is a pleasure to have you in the Institute, Mr Bane.” Maryse stepped forward stiffly and proffered a hand. The polite smile on her face didn't reach her eyes.

“Well thank you for letting us come and visit.” Magnus recognised Maryse instantly, she seemed to have changed little since her glory days in the sport. “I hope we’ve not caused too much disruption for you.”

Maryse smiled weakly in response, clearly she was not pleased with the influx of camera crews.

“Hmm. Well I'm sure Jace and Isabelle will be able to help you should you require anything, I will leave you in their capable hands.” Without waiting for a reply, Maryse spun on her heel and strode off towards the corridor on the far side of the room.

Watching her retreating form, Magnus tried to catch a glimpse of Alec, only to note with disappointment that he was already on the floor talking to his trainer and unstrapping his ring grips.

“So I warn you now, I know I'm gonna work out exactly how you do those tricks..” Jace grinned at him and Magnus fought the almost irresistible urge to roll his eyes, whilst Izzy just laughed.

“Oh you will, will you?” Magnus’ eyes twinkled mischievously.

“Hell yeah, see I’ve watched your show and I'm pretty sure I get what you're doing. I mean you're good but…” Jace tilted his head to one side. “I mean that lifting thing, yeah I wouldn't fall for that.”

Izzy was biting her lip hard, trying to stifle her laugh.

“Fair enough. So shall we see if you're right..?” Magnus smiled innocently.

“Ok, so I’ll leave you boys to it while I get ready then..” Izzy muttered, looking between them before wandering off to warm up by the beam.

“Hey Alec...Come here..” Jace yelled over and Magnus watched as Alec looked up, frowning, before running his fingers through his hair.

Without even waiting for Alec’s response, Jace turned his attention back to Magnus.

“Ok, bring it…” Jace flexed his fingers and rolled his arms around as if preparing for some epic contest.

“Oh there’s nothing to bring, just see if you can lift me. Honestly shouldn't be a problem for someone as strong as you..” Magnus batted his eyelashes innocently.

“Ok..”

Jace stepped forward and without hesitation placed his hands either side of Magnus chest.

“Ok, so it's fairly straightforward, you just lift me.” Magnus laid his palms against Jace’s elbows.

“Yes.” Jace crowed as he lifted him into the air.

“Very good.” Magnus smiled, looking him straight in the eye. “One more time to prove the point and I’ll admit you're right. Ok so look at me”

“Easy.” Jace confidently moved back into position and Magnus held onto his flexed elbows again as they locked eyes.

This time, try as he might he simply couldn't shift Magnus and there was no mistaking the grunts of frustration.

“What the hell..?” Jace stepped back in disbelief as Magnus simply raised an eyebrow in amusement. “Dude, that’s not...how…”

Much as Magnus was enjoying Jace's confusion, his attention shifted when he saw the distraction that was Alec Lightwood approaching. His shoulders were somewhat hunched and he seemed to be staring rather intently at the floor but nonetheless, there was no denying that he was a truly beautiful man.

Whilst Magnus was quite used to seeing him on television screens, seeing Alec in the flesh was something else entirely, even high definition not fully capturing his thick dark lashes and perfectly rose pink lips. Then there was his height, ordinarily gymnasts tended to be more stocky in build like Jace but Alec was a giant and Magnus couldn't help but wonder how much extra training he must have put himself through to get his lanky frame to perform such intricate routines, how much determination he must have.

“Hello, I'm Magnus Bane. I don't think we’ve been formally introduced.” Magnus swiftly moved past a still shellshocked Jace, and putting on his most flirtatious smile, approached Alec.

“Hi…umm..Yeah...Um…Alexander..I mean..Alec… umm.. Alec Lightwood…” Alec looked up, and blushing adorably, shook Magnus’ outstretched hand.

“Oh darling, I know who you are..” Magnus winked, not wanting to let go of Alec’s hand just yet and noting with interest the way such a simple gesture sent tingles up his arm.

“You do..?” Alec looked at him incredulously, lips slightly parted, before breaking into a blinding smile.

If Magnus had admired Alec’s looks before, it would be no lie to say that the sight of him smiling was utterly entrancing, and he couldn't find it within himself to look away from his beautiful hazel eyes.

“Hmph.” Jace cleared his throat loudly beside them, effectively breaking the spell, and Alec seemed to realise that they had been holding hands for far too long. Dropping his hand, he stepped away and rubbed the back of his neck, licking his lips nervously.

If Magnus had been concentrating he would've congratulated himself on being right once more about Alec being shy, but to be honest, he was too busy being captivated by the gorgeous man in front of him.

“Bro...seriously..you should try and lift him...I mean, I tried and..well, it’s not normal..” Jace was prattling on, apparently oblivious to the loaded atmosphere brewing between the two of them.

“Umm..what….no…” Alec glanced at his brother wild eyed and blushed even more. “I...um...I mean ..I should…” He indicated over his shoulder to where his coach was waiting patiently.

“Of course my dear. I'm sure you have lots of training to do…” Magnus smiled kindly.

“Yeah...I mean..I would...I wish….” Alec stuttered, clenching his hands nervously.

“Honestly Alexander, I understand completely. I know it takes a lot of practice to gain your level of perfection. I hope you have the time to watch my last Illusion though, hopefully it'll impress you as much as the little bit of your routine that I saw, did me.” Magnus couldn't resist a small wink which left Alec gaping.

“Yeah..I..” Alec raised his hand slightly, seemingly having lost the power of speech, before indicating over his shoulder once more and hurrying off.

Magnus didn't have long to process how utterly adorable Alexander Lightwood was or to enjoy the more than pleasant view of his retreating form, as Isabelle chose that moment to rejoin them.

“Ah, so you met Alec then?” She chuckled.

“I did. Is he always…?” Magnus inclined his head towards her a little, reluctant to fully look away from Alec just yet.

“Yeah, he's just really shy, but honestly wait till you get to know him..he's the best brother I could wish for.” Izzy smiled, the love she felt for Alec clearly visible in her eyes.

“Iz, I'm standing right here..” Jace huffed indignantly.

“I know.” Izzy moved over and hugged Jace resting her cheek on his shoulder and whispering something in his ear before turning back to Magnus.

“So, you gonna let me impress you first then…?” she smirked.

“Absolutely. Lead the way, my dear..” Magnus noticed that Izzy pointedly nodded her head towards the other side of the room whilst looking at Jace, who in turn ducked his head slightly in response, before she made her way back to the beam. Ah, the secret sibling code no doubt, he chuckled to himself, the pair reminding him more than a little of how he and Clary interacted.

“Cool well, I'll leave you guys to it.” Jace grinned. “But I'll get you next time Magnus.”

“If you say so.” He teased.

Jace guffawed loudly and patted him on the shoulder, making Magnus wonder if he'd been a little too hasty in his judgement. For all his bluster, the blonde seemed more than happy to laugh at himself, which was very much a positive.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Raphael pan the camera round to where Izzy was waiting patiently to show off her skills. Looking forward to seeing her in action, he took his position by the side of the training area.

It'd certainly been an interesting day so far, he mused.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As ever I love to hear what you think....
> 
> Feel free to shout at me or tumblr as well @the-burning-tiger


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus finishes his visit to the institute

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly I wanted to thank you all for your incredible support for this fic. You have no idea how much it means so thank you x a billion.
> 
> This chapter is a little bit shorter but it seemed the right point to end.
> 
> I shamelessly stole Magnus' trick from the British magician Dynamo so if you want to check out the original it's on YouTube https://youtu.be/-FfjIXACmbY and it's immense.
> 
> Anyway...here goes, I hope you enjoy xox

Alec leaned his back against the wood panelling before sliding down to the floor, legs extended in front of him.

_Fuck_

He’d rushed past Hodge with the barest of looks but even that had been enough to see the look of sympathy on his coach's face. Almost instinctively he found himself in one of the lesser known corridors of the Institute, needing more than anything to be on his own, having made such a grade A idiot of himself in front of Magnus Bane.

Ordinarily, whenever things got too much he'd throw himself into training, pushing himself to the point of exhaustion to try and block out his problems. This time it wasn't an option as the source of his worries would be in the same room.

Alec hit the back of his head against the wall, fists clenching in frustration. He’d always known that he wasn't good with people, but what had just happened made it abundantly clear to him that he was totally incapable of human interaction.

The one chance he’d had to talk to his favourite celebrity and he’d completely blown it. Hell, he hadn't even managed to string a sentence together. He’d expected things to go badly just not _that_ badly.

He sighed deeply as he hugged his knees up to his chest. It was all so stupid really, I mean it wasn't as if he ever really had a chance of getting to know Magnus anyway, so why it meant so much to him, he didn't know. Magnus was amazing, glittery, confident and beautiful and he was just, well, plain old Alec Lightwood.

To be fair it wasn't entirely his fault, I mean surely anyone would've struggled with Magnus looking so effortlessly gorgeous, he rationalised. A picture of Magnus flashed before his eyes, the skinny blue trousers, black brocade jacket and that lovely black silk shirt, all set off by multiple necklaces and perfect makeup.

“Thought I’d find you here.” Alec jumped a little, having been so absorbed in his thoughts of Magnus he hadn't even noticed Jace arriving and sitting down next to him.

Alec just shrugged his shoulders noncommittally before turning his head to rest his cheek on his knee as he looked at his brother.

“Yeah well, Iz is just finishing up and then it's the big illusion. Didn't think you'd want to miss it.” Jace shoulder bumped him.

Alec sighed and looked away.

“C’mon Alec…” Jace pleaded.

“I can't...god, he must think I'm such an idiot…” Alec muttered.

“Oh, it wasn't that bad..”

“Jace you were there, you saw it. Jeez..”

“Ok fine, yeah it was a bit of a car crash..”

“Gee thanks..” Alec mumbled.

“Yeah but from what I saw, Magnus thought it was cute..” Jace grinned as Alec groaned and dropped his head to his knees.

“Great, just great.” Alec mumbled.

“Nah, cute is good…”

“In teenage girls..”

“Whatever, anyway you know you wanna see this. You'll regret it if you don't.” Jace teased lightly and Alec had to concede he had a point.

Jace bounced to his feet and offered a hand to Alec.

“Don't worry bro - I gotcha. I'll protect you from the big bad Magnus Bane” he smirked.

“Shut up Jace..” Alec complained, stifling a laugh at his brother's antics before grabbing his hand and pulling himself into his feet.

“See, there's the Alec I know..” Jace beamed as they started to walk down the corridor. “Hey, no offence man, but remind me to never ask you to be my wingman eh..”

Clearly Jace couldn't resist one last crack, and this time, Alec laughed out loud.

“To be fair, I'm okay with hot women you know..” he chuckled.

“Who said anything about hot girls, it's good to keep your options open I say.” Jace winked, putting an arm around Alec's shoulder as they walked. “Anyway, at least you admit you think Bane is hot..”

Alec just groaned and rolled his eyes.

……..

Magnus clapped enthusiastically as Isabelle landed her ultra difficult Tsukahara dismount as if it were the easiest thing in the world. Not that he expected anything different, there was afterall a reason that she was considered the one to beat going into any contest.

“Isabelle my dear, that was stunning. Well I have to say, I’ve got a lot to live up to now…” He grinned as she approached.

“Well I couldn't make it easy for you, could I?” Izzy teased, apparently not even slightly out of breath despite her physically demanding routine.

“Ah, I do love a challenge.” Izzy giggled as Magnus winked at her. “Shall we?”

Izzy grabbed her sweat pants and eagerly followed him out of the training room to where Cat and Lily were waiting.

“That was great Isabelle. Are you Ok to go straight on from here? If you need a moment that's fine, and if you like, Lily here can help out with any makeup touch ups.” Cat, as ever, was a picture of organisation and Magnus couldn't help but smile at how his old friend naturally seemed to look after everyone around her.

“Actually, yeah that would be great, thanks Lily. To be honest, I'm excited to see what Magnus has got in store..” Izzy’s eyes danced with excitement.

“Patience..” Magnus waved his finger.

“Nope..don't have any of that..” Izzy retorted, as Raphael hurried by complaining about needing time to set up and wondering why everyone was constantly in such a rush.

“Well, you’ll see soon enough, darling.” Magnus waggled his eyebrows.

Izzy shrugged before following Lily to one of the offices that had been co-opted into an impromptu make up room.

“You ready?” Cat looked expectantly at Magnus.

“Always, shall we?” To be honest, Magnus was glad to have a small respite to get his mind back on the task in hand. Whether he liked to admit it or not, meeting Alec Lightwood had put him a little off balance and he was pretty sure he didn't want to examine the reasons for that just yet.

Frankly, setting himself up in the room that had been fitted out for his next section was exactly what he needed right now to focus his thoughts.

…..

Izzy and Lily were gossiping like old friends when Jace and Alec found them and Alec wondered, not for the first time, how it was that his sister seemed to make friends with people in seconds.

Izzy glanced up and broke into a dazzling smile as she saw her brothers.

“I'm all done here..” Lily winked.

“Great..” Izzy jumped to her feet and ran over to Alec giving him a big hug. “I'm glad you're here, big brother.”

“Yeah well, didn't have much a choice, did I ?” Alec grumbled, nodding towards Jace.

“What? Like you’d want to miss this.” Jace shrugged and Izzy nodded in agreement.

“Fine, whatever. Can we not make a big deal out of this please..” Alec pouted.

“Alec..” Izzy pleaded.

“I mean it, Iz...I’ve made a big enough fool out of myself for one day, thank you very much.”

“It wasn't that bad.” Izzy started, before seeing the frown on Alec’s face and deciding to change tack. “I'm pretty sure Magnus thought it was cute..”

“That’s what I said..” Jace agreed and Alec threw him a filthy look. “Just saying!”

“Ok, cut it out, you guys. I _would_ like to see what Magnus has planned..” Alec held up a hand as Izzy started to speak, effectively silencing her. “But, and I cannot stress this enough, I just want to watch yeah, so no making me try to speak to Magnus again..”

“But..” Izzy started.

“No buts, Iz…”

“Fine..” Izzy pouted. “Well, c’mon then. Let's go..”

Izzy linked arms with both her brothers and pulled them out into the corridor.

………….

By the time Isabelle joined him ten minutes later, Magnus was already settled in one of the pair of leather armchairs in the office they’d taken over. Clearly Isabelle wasn't lying when she’d said she was excited to see what he was up to.

Magnus nodded towards the crew surrounding him to start filming as he motioned for Izzy to sit down in the opposite chair, watching her smile as she saw what had been done to the room.

“You like it?” Magnus smiled.

“Oh it’s amazing..” Izzy’s eyes flitted happily over the oak paneled walls that were now decorated with multiple paper butterflies, in homage to her signature leotard.

“I thought it apt.”

“It’s perfect..” Izzy gasped.

“So, I have to say it was an absolute privilege to see you in action, but I do have one question.” Izzy turned her attention back to him and smiled coquettishly.

“Fire away..”

“Why the beam?” Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jace and Alec slip into the room and stand by the side of the crew. It pleased him more than he'd like to admit that they were here.

“Honestly? Hmm, well I guess it’s my favourite. I think because it’s so unforgiving, you know. I love the challenge of it.” Izzy answered seriously.

“That makes sense. No wonder we get on so well, we both love a challenge..” Magnus chuckled and Izzy smiled.

The pair of them chatted back and forth for a few minutes, Magnus ensuring that they had plenty of footage to choose from, but soon enough he could see Izzy getting increasingly impatient and knew it was time to start.

Casually, he leaned across to the wall and plucked one of the butterflies off the wall before balancing it on the palm of his hand.

“You know every time I see you, you have one of these somewhere on you. I must ask you sometime what you like about them so much..” He smiled.

“Maybe I’ll tell you sometime..” Izzy replied with a wink.

“Here’s hoping. Anyway it’s yet another thing we have in common. I love butterflies and I’ll tell you why..watch..” Izzy raised a questioning eyebrow before looking down at Magnus’ palm.

“I think it’s because they look so delicate, but they move so beautifully.” Magnus murmured before waggling his fingers over his palm.

Izzy gasped as the paper butterfly started to flap its wings as if it were actually alive. Magnus extended his palm and she leaned in further to watch the paper dance all on it’s own.

“So beautiful..” Magnus murmured and Izzy nodded in agreement. “But more than that. I love that butterflies transform themselves, I mean who would think a humble caterpillar could become something so lovely.”

Izzy looked at him quizzically and Magnus winked before cupping his hands together as if holding something precious.

He blew on his hands before holding them out to Isabelle, nodding his head to indicate that she should do the same. After a second's hesitation, she complied.

“Perfect…so as I said, I think anything that can turn from something ordinary to something extraordinary is really special..” Magnus grinned as Izzy watched in rapt attention.

With slow deliberation Magnus opened his palms. The paper model that had been there before had now disappeared, replaced by a real butterfly which opened and closed it’s colourful wings for a few seconds before taking flight.

“Magnus…” Izzy breathed, eyes glued to the little creature.

“Hmm it looks a little lonely, don't you think..?” Magnus winked. Izzy looked at him confused.

Magnus clapped his hands together and suddenly all the paper decorations came to life and the room was filled with what seemed like hundreds of butterflies flying around.

Izzy sprang to her feet in surprise, hand pressed to her lips as she was surrounded with a cloud of butterflies.

“Seriously dude...how the hell..?” Jace exclaimed, stepping forward. Whilst Isabelle was still speechless, her brother clearly wasn't.

Magnus burst into laughter at the look on the blonde’s face, only stopping when Izzy practically threw herself at him hugging him tightly.

“Oh my god, that was amazing…” She beamed.

“Glad you liked it, my dear..” Magnus pulled back slightly and his eyes were drawn to a movement beside him.

Alec had stepped forward quietly, a look of wonder on his face as his eyes flitted around the room. Magnus watched as he extended a hand out and a single butterfly landed on his finger.

It was possibly the most amazing sight he’d ever seen, Alec smiling contentedly as the tiny creature opened and closed its delicate wings, sat on his finger.

“I think you impressed everyone.” Izzy murmured beside him.

Magnus barely noticed what she was saying, unable to drag his gaze away from Alec. How was it possible for anyone to be so adorable, was his first thought, closely followed by the dawning realisation that he could be in serious trouble here.

Despite his better judgement, he couldn't resist walking over towards Alec.

“I see you've found a friend.” Alec didn't look up when he spoke but Magnus could see the lop sided smile on his face.

“He’s beautiful.” Alec murmured, still watching the delicate flutter of wings in front of him and Magnus was glad that he was so distracted that he seemed to have forgotten his nerves for the moment.

“I couldn't agree more.” Magnus smiled softly as he took the opportunity to gaze at Alec’s profile undisturbed.

“And cut….” Cat shouted, startling the butterfly so much it flew off and bringing Alec back to the realisation that he was, in fact, talking to Magnus and blushing bright crimson.

It was only when Magnus turned towards Cat that he saw the unmistakable smirk on Raphael's face and realised with a sinking feeling that, undoubtedly, he'd been caught on film blatantly checking out Alec. Putting aside the thought of the inevitable weeks of teasing he'd get as a result, he decided on one last attempt at talking to Alec.

“So, I hope you enjoyed that.” Magnus tilted his head to one side as he looked at Alec, trying to not think of how important Alec’s answer suddenly seemed to him.

“You're kidding, right? I mean, that was incredible..” Alec words tumbled out swiftly. “That is..umm..Izzy seemed to love it..so yeah…”

“I'm glad.” He really was. Deciding it was best not to think about his own reaction too much, he continued. “So you're not going to try and get me to reveal my secrets then?”

Magnus opted for lightly teasing with a hint of flirtation, his default tactic when he was feeling a little off kilter.

“Or are you going to leave that up to Jace? Mind you, he did tell me he'd be able to work it out himself, so…” Magnus smile broadened as Alec burst into laughter, a sound that he was quite convinced was something he could happily hear time and time again.

“Yeah, that sounds like Jace..” Alec chuckled.

Although he seemed more relaxed than before, he was still delightfully flushed and unwilling to make eye contact.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I'm afraid I have to steal this one away.” Cat appeared at Magnus’ shoulder with a somewhat apologetic look on her face.

“No, of course. I'm guessing you're really busy. I’ll…” Alec shuffled uncomfortably from foot to foot.

“Sadly, yes. Alexander, it’s been a pleasure.” Magnus nodded his head smartly, determined to not make him uncomfortable by being more forward, but quite unable to resist giving him a little wink, making Alec's blush deepen and his smile widen. “I should say goodbye to your lovely siblings as well.”

“Yeah..” Alec looked up at Magnus through his lashes, which he couldn't help feel was simply adorable and also quite some feat, considering his ridiculous height. It struck Magnus that Alec was clearly used to hunching his shoulders and shrinking into the background, and it made him feel incredibly sad. Someone like Alec, with all his achievements, should stand proud and strong and Magnus hoped that one day someone would help him realise his worth.

With a small smile, Magnus turned to leave, only to stop when Alec spoke again.

“Umm, Magnus..” Looking back, he watched Alec running his fingers anxiously through his hair and Magnus raised a questioning eyebrow. “It was nice to meet you too.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So hope that was ok...I'm going to try and update every week or so but I've got an op coming up so there may be a bit of a delay...I will try though I promise xox
> 
> Anyway I love to hear your thoughts ....


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus gets ready for the season premier of 'The High Warlock of Brooklyn' and has a night out with his friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so this is a bit of a Magnus centric episode but Alec does appear briefly.
> 
> I would like to officially apologise to my wonderful beta @ladymatt because sadly Malec aren't married yet ;-)

Magnus rushed into the recording studio to find Ragnor already waiting impatiently, pointedly checking his watch.

“About time.” Ragnor muttered.

“Or exactly _on_ time as most normal people would call it.” Magnus retorted, Ragnor only replying with an overly dramatic huff.

The last week had been chaotically busy for all of them, with the premier of the new season about to drop in just over a week, Magnus had been dragged around the talk show circuit to promote it. If that wasn't enough, thanks to the network’s idea of celebrity guests, his days had been spent running half way around the country trying to get the guest spots filled in time.

All that was left now was the voice over work that was always included in every episode and then everything was ready. Magnus still had some celebrities lined up for filming but at least he had enough in the can to cover the first few weeks, so the pressure had eased a little.

“Yes, well as far as I see it, the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can all relax.” Ragnor was still grumbling as they walked towards the recording booth.

“Ok, so I’m all set..I've even written down notes from Paris. Admit it, you're impressed Ragnor.” Magnus teased. Earlier that year they'd taken a week long trip to France with the idea that it would be a great way to start the season, or as Magnus liked to describe it, a ‘what I did in my summer holidays’ section.

“Well I would be, if we were doing the Paris footage. Seriously Magnus, do you even read your emails..?”

“Yes, of course.” Ragnor raised his eyebrow at him. “Ok fair enough, no I haven't had time this week..”

“Brilliant. Well if you had you’d have seen that the network wants to run with the Lightwood footage for the first episode and also the gallery.” Ragnor spoke as if admonishing a small child. “Have you even reviewed the episode? Actually no, don't answer that, I already know the answer.”

“I've been a little busy..” Magnus muttered under his breath, as Ragnor shook his head in defeat.

“Right well, luckily enough, I’ve written some things down so…” Ragnor reached into his briefcase producing a sheaf of paper all covered with his traditionally neat flowing writing.

“Uh-huh, like I'm going to say what you've written..” Magnus held up a hand as Ragnor tried to hand over his notes.

“Magnus…”

“Seriously, old friend, I’ll wing it…” Magnus grinned, only just resisting the urge to laugh at the affronted look on Ragnor’s face.

“Well that's just brilliant, perfect.” Ragnor muttered under his breath as he stalked off to the control booth where Cat was waiting patiently, making quite the show of putting the papers away. “He’ll wing it, of course he will, I mean god forbid we could actually have a plan..”

Magnus glanced up and caught sight of Cat who was shaking her head affectionately at Ragnor's antics and had to stifle his laughter.

Still smiling to himself, Magnus made his way into the recording room and placed the headphones on, settling into position on the stool in front of the microphone.

“Ok Magnus, so I suggest we just run through the bits of footage we need comments over and then see what we can do.” Cat’s voice came over the headphones, and in the background he could still here Ragnor complaining about him not having seen the final cut.

“Sounds good.” Magnus grinned, giving her the thumbs up before turning his attention to the small screen in front of him.

“Great, so we just need an intro on the gallery and also arriving at the Institute, so I'll play those bits for you, then we’ll go for a take if you're happy.” Cat as ever was completely in control. Next to her, Ragnor sat with his arms folded and a scowl on his face. On the bright side, he’d at least stopped complaining.

Despite Ragnor's misgivings, within an hour they'd managed to finish the final voice over and Magnus was ready to head out.

“See, I told you it would be fine.” Magnus couldn't conceal the smug smile on his face as he joined Cat and Ragnor again.

“Yes well, I still maintain it would've been quicker if you’d actually known what you were doing first.” Ragnor grumbled.

“Ah, where’s the fun in that..?” Magnus smirked back, as Ragnor shook his head in defeat. “Tell you what, I’ll make it up to you, let's get a drink.”

“Well…” He could see his friends resolve start to waver whilst Cat bit her lip to conceal her smile at the pair of them.

“I’ll take you to ‘Noorman’s Kil,’ you know you love their whiskeys..” It was clear that Ragnor’s mood was beginning to improve and there was absolutely no way that he would turn down an opportunity to spend an evening at his favourite whiskey bar in Brooklyn. The fact that a tipsy Ragnor was incredibly amusing had nothing to do with it at all.

“I do like their benches…” Ragnor muttered, his expression softening visibly.

“My treat.”

“Ok, fine. I suppose you did do a good job under the circumstances.” Ragnor conceded.

“There’s my boys..” Catarina grinned happily, looping her arms though Ragnor’s and Magnus’ as the trio headed off.

……….

“So..” Izzy came bouncing over to Alec as he finished off his stretching routine. Alec straightened himself up and looked down at his sister, one eyebrow raised. “I thought you'd want to know, I'm meeting Magnus for a coffee tomorrow.”

“Okay..” Alec replied carefully, one eye slightly closed as he eyed his sister with suspicion.

“You should come too.” Izzy looked back at him resolutely, hands on hips.

“Ok, so that'll be a nope..” Alec muttered.

“Look, just hear me out..” Alec got up, heading towards the door with his sister chasing behind him. “Firstly, I know Magnus would be pleased to see you, don't argue, he would. Secondly, we can just say I’d taken you shopping, it’s the perfect excuse.”

“Ok, so now I know you've lost it.” Alec laughed. “You've seen my wardrobe, right?”

“Which is exactly my point. I can say I just couldn't stand your collection of worn t-shirts and the endless sea of black any longer” His sister was nothing if not persistent.

“Seriously Izzy, why won't you just let this go..?” Alec muttered under his breath as he strode down the corridor.

“Well forgive me if I just want my big brother to be happy..” Izzy snapped back.

“I am happy..” Alec paused and turned to glare at his sister.

“Ok, look I'm sorry, that was a bit much. It’s just you need to let yourself go a little bit, honestly you’re so tightly wound Alec, and one day you’re gonna explode and not in a good way.” Izzy gently placed her hand on his forearm to try and calm the situation.

“And making a fool of myself in front of Magnus Bane for the second time will help that how exactly?” While the words were harsh, Alec couldn't hide the slight sadness in his voice.

“Oh Alec.” Izzy sighed, shaking her head. “How many times do we have to tell you..?”

“I have no idea what you're talking about.” Alec crossed his arms firmly.

“Magnus likes you.” Izzy held a hand up as Alec started to interrupt. “Alec he does. I saw how he looked at you and I promise, you don't look at someone the way he looked at you unless you really, really like them.”

“That’s not..” Alec began.

“Fine! Don't believe me then. Seriously Alec, I don't know how someone so smart can be so goddamn dumb sometimes..” Izzy had clearly lost her patience, and without waiting for his reply, she flounced off. On the plus side, Alec thought, at least she’d given up on her ridiculous plan.

……….

Magnus was most definitely more than a little tipsy and his only consolation was that Ragnor was even more drunk than he was. Over the years, Magnus had decided on a system to rate Ragnor’s level of drunkenness and they’d definitely past the ‘dear boy’ phase where Ragnor seemed to love the entire world, and were progressing rapidly into the ‘Peru phase’ where he would try and tell everyone who cared to listen about how difficult it was to deal with Magnus, and regale them with stories of how he once got them banned from an entire country.

Cat, as usual, was remarkably sober considering, between the three of them, they’d largely worked their way through the top shelf of the bar’s vintage whiskeys. That woman’s tolerance for alcohol was something he wasn't even prepared to think about right now.

“So, I think a toast is in order.” Magnus raised his glass, after all, they'd come this far so what the hell, “To the season premiere!”

“I'll drink to that.” Ragnor waggled his glass enthusiastically in the air, spilling some of it’s contents in the process.

“To the premier..” Catarina agreed, as they all downed their drinks.

“So just out of interest, why rearrange the order of the episodes?” Magnus placed his glass on the table and looked curiously at Catarina, Ragnor being far too occupied with trying to get the attention of the bar staff for the next round of drinks.

“Oh no reason really, the execs just liked the footage, thought it would create a buzz..” Catarina answered, rather too seriously for Magnus’ liking, and he had the strong suspicion that there was something else behind her words.

“Well, I suppose they _were_ two rather fabulous tricks, even if I say so myself.” Clearly the alcohol was making Magnus somewhat paranoid, so he brushed off his worries as Ragnor reappeared with their next drinks.

“Oh, of course that’s why..” Ragnor laughed sarcastically as he clumsily sat down.

“Ragnor..” Cat warned, making Ragnor just giggle more.

“Ok, what exactly is going on here..?” Magnus looked sharply between his two friends.

“It's really nothing” Cat spoke in her most reassuring tone, which only made him feel more suspicious.

“Oh honestly, if you'd just watched the footage you’d know exactly why.” Ragnor laughed as Cat threw him a death stare. “What? It’s true..”

“Will one of you just tell me what the heck is going on?” Magnus sat forward and saw the look of promised retribution Cat gave to Ragnor, who fortunately had had more than enough whiskey to suitably loosen his tongue.

“Like you don't know. Honestly, sometimes Magnus, you are just so dense. Didn't you know dear boy, as you colonials like to delicately put it, sex sells.” Ragnor took a hefty swig of his drink.

“What..?” Magnus felt his head swimming and not just due to the alcohol.

“Magnus, calm down..” Again, Cat attempted to head off the inevitable but Ragnor was enjoying himself way too much.

“Seriously, the way you were looking at that Lightwood boy, are you really surprised..?” Ragnor looked more than a little smug.

“I…” Magnus couldn't formulate the words, and that never happened to him. Surely Raphael wouldn't have thrown him under the bus by showing the full recording? Who was he kidding, that was exactly what he’d do. Which basically meant Magnus was screwed. It’d been hard enough to not think about Alec for the last week, although the fact that he'd been so busy had certainly helped, but now the whole world would see Magnus Bane acting like a lovesick fool.

He groaned as he put his head in his hands.

“It's really not that bad, you know.” Cat patted his shoulder cautiously. “They just thought it was sweet, the start of your next romance…”

Magnus groaned louder and dropped his forehead onto the table.

“See, I told you. He's not going to do anything about it. You know exactly the same thing happened in Peru..” Magnus cursed his luck that this was the point Ragnor had descended into his ‘Peru phase.’ “I mean there was that perfectly nice musician and he just let him go. I'm quite certain he could have won him back with hardly any effort at all, but did he listen to me, of course not. Now what was his name again? Ignacio, no .. wait, I'll get it in a second..”

“It was Imasu, as you well know…” Magnus looked up sorrowfully “and for the thousandth time, he wanted more than I could give, it wouldn't have been fair.”

“Well, I still say…” Ragnor continued, but this time it was Catarina who stopped him.

“Magnus, honey I know you. I've known you for a long time and I've never seen you act that way around anyone. Honestly, I just assumed you'd do something about it..” Cat narrowed her eyes as she looked at him.

“No, no I can't ..” He should've known the answer wouldn't have been enough for Cat, who continued to watch him carefully. Fortunately, Ragnor had had enough, and necking the rest of his drink, wandered off towards the bar, muttering under his breath something about needing way more alcohol to deal with this nonsense.

“I don't understand..” Cat’s brow scrunched in confusion.

Magnus took a deep breath, knowing that he'd have to at least try and explain himself, and maybe if he got Cat on side, she’d help with Ragnor. He sat up again, fiddling with the cuffs of his shirt.

“Ok, so I admit there was certainly something there..” Magnus glanced at Cat and saw the smile playing at her lips. “But, well, let's look at this logically. I mean, Alexander, he’s a sportsman, you know, driven and disciplined, basically the exact opposite of my life. Granted, I've only met him briefly, but I just can't see that beautiful shy man wanting the attention I get. It wouldn't be fair Cat, and he deserves better.”

“You mean better than you..” Cat shook her head.

“Yes, I suppose I do.” Hopefully she could now see his point of view.

“Oh Magnus, this isn't about him, this is about you thinking you're not good enough. Look, all I'm saying is surely this is something that Alec has the right to decide for himself..” Cat smiled sadly. “Promise me you’ll just think about it.”

“Ok.” He replied, even though it was a lie. Cat, and Ragnor to an extent, had a blind spot when it came to him, and despite what they thought, he knew he was right on this. Alexander Lightwood was too innocent, too sweet for someone like him.

…….

There were many things in Magnus’ life that he regretted, but as he opened his eyes the following morning, an evening of getting wasted with his friends was undoubtedly top of his list.

Magnus squinted his eyes, the bright morning sunlight streaming into his room being borderline painful, and tried to sit up, pretty much instantly thinking better of it.

Memories of the previous night came back to him and that, combined with his killer hangover, made him feel decidedly nauseous. At some point in the evening Raphael had joined them and from then on it apparently became open season for winding Magnus up.

Fortunately, as the alcohol continued to flow, Ragnor reached what Magnus liked to call the ‘Sinatra phase’ and his loud rendition of ‘My Way’ was a little too much for the bar staff who'd politely suggested to Catarina that maybe it was time to go home.

Blearily, Magnus reached towards his bedside table and retrieved the glass of water and Advil that he'd put there last night, congratulating himself on his forethought, pausing when his phone buzzed.

With more fumbling than he’d ever admit to, he managed to open his messages to find a text from Isabelle Lightwood, reminding him that they were due to meet for coffee later that day.

With a groan, Magnus flung himself back onto the mountain of pillows he insisted was ever present. It wasn't so much that he didn't want to see Izzy, in fact the opposite was true, he liked her immensely, it was just that them meeting today was possibly the worst timing ever.

For the majority of last night his friends had been teasing him about his obvious crush on Alec, and that in turn had brought the man well and truly back into his thoughts, not that he’d really been far from them for the last week. The concept of meeting up with his sister when his alcohol fuelled brain had provided him with some vivid and quite frankly inventive dreams of exactly what he’d do to Alec given the chance, was not really appealing.

Still there was no getting out of it really, and if he was honest, he did enjoy Izzy’s company and knew she would be excited that her episode had been bumped up to be the premier. It didn't have to be awkward, did it? I mean, how bad could the footage be? It was not beyond the realms of possibility that his so called friends were exaggerating just to get a rise out of him.

Magnus propped himself up on his pillows and toyed with his phone. Yes, the more he thought about it, the more certain he became that everyone was just making a mountain out of a molehill. Granted, he could watch the episode himself, but seriously the last thing he needed right now was even the slightest reminder of just how adorable Alec Lightwood was, even if it was only for a split second.

With his mind made up, Magnus texted Izzy back and arranged a time to meet.

……….

  
“And then Ragnor started singing and it all went downhill from there..” Magnus finished off recounting the evening’s events to Izzy in typical flamboyant style, studiously avoiding any reference to her brother.

They’d been sitting in his favourite coffee shop, Java Jones, and thanks to several caramel lattes and an excellent double chocolate muffin, Magnus was feeling much more his usual self.

“Oh god, I just can't imagine Ragnor doing that..” Isabelle laughed happily.

“I know, but he’s actually rather fun when you ply him with alcohol.” Magnus sipped his drink as he winked at Izzy.

“No...I'd have to see it to believe it.” She shook her head in disbelief.

“Well, you may be in luck. We’re filming in my club in a few weeks, you should come along, the more the merrier.” He waggled his eyebrows mischievously.

“Your club?” Izzy scrunched her brow in confusion.

“Why yes, Pandemonium.” Magnus was inordinately proud of his club. He’d bought it as a run down warehouse and had turned it into one of the premier spots in New York and he took every opportunity to pop in and visit.

“Oh my god, you own Pandemonium. I love that place.” Izzy practically squealed raising her hand to her mouth whilst Magnus grinned in response. “That’s so cool. So, what're you filming..?”

“Oh, just filling another guest spot really. Bat Velasquez is guest DJing, so I figured two birds one stone and all that..” It had been quite a coup to secure Bat to play, as one of the rising stars of the club scene he was in high demand. Having him agree to be on the show was not only great for the program but also excellent PR for Pandemonium.

“Wow, ok text me the details and I am so there.” Izzy was practically bouncing with excitement.

“Excellent, well there’ll be quite the crowd, obviously Ragnor and Cat, but Clary and Simon as well. You should bring your brothers as well.” Oh god, why did he just say that, clearly Isabelle’s excitement had made him lose any common sense he had.

“Believe me, I’ll try.” Izzy winked before continuing in an uncharacteristically cautious tone. “So Simon’ll be there..?”

“Ah hah!” Magnus seized the opportunity to avoid the topic of Alec by latching on to the last comment. “I knew you liked him..and to answer your question, yes he’ll be there. His band are playing a short set first.”

“So another guest spot, eh?” Isabelle shrugged, clearly wanting to avoid the ‘Simon topic’ as much as possible. “How’s that going then?”

“Actually, really well. So far we’ve managed to film quite a few, although honestly it’s been pretty much non stop. No rest for the wicked and all that.” Izzy raised a questioning eyebrow as she sipped her chai tea. “Ok, so we’ve got Jem Carstairs and his partners Tessa Gray and Will Herondale.”

“The three of them still together?” Izzy asked. When the trio had announced to the world that they were part of a happily stable polyamorous relationship it’d been quite the scandal, but as was often the way in the world of celebrity gossip, these days it was pretty much old news. After an initial blip, all three had carved out highly successful careers, Jem as a classical violinist and Tessa and Will as actors on both film and tv.

“Totally inseparable and we managed to get Tessa and Will on a break from filming, so it was excellent timing.” Magnus had known the trio for many years and they had been top of his list for filming from the start. “Ive also done something with Jocelyn, it seemed only fair after we filmed at Clary’s opening. Then there was an excellent piece with Henry Branwell, who luckily enough is an old friend, because who doesn't need a mad inventor on their show?”

Isabelle giggled and just nodded for him to continue.

“And I’ve got a fair few lined up, but that’s at least the first few weeks filled. Which reminds me, I have some news for you.” Magnus noticed how Isabelle leaned forward a little. “Apparently, the network loved the piece at the Institute and have decided it should be in the season premier.”

Magnus knew it was a risk telling Isabelle but she would undoubtedly find out and he couldn't help but feel she’d be really disappointed if she didn't hear it from him first.

“Really?” Izzy looked at him wide eyed and Magnus nodded in confirmation. “But that’s next week…”

“I know..”

“Oh man, I can't wait to tell Alec and Jace. We are so going to have to sit down and watch that together. That’s just crazy though, the premier..” Izzy was back to looking excited and her eyes twinkled happily.

“Apparently, they loved the butterfly trick..” The lie came easily to Magnus’ lips, mainly because he’d spent the last 12 hours convincing himself of that himself.

“I can see that, I mean it was totally awesome..So, you can tell me...how did you do it?” Izzy dipped her head to one side and batted her eyelashes.

“Nope. My lips are sealed.” Magnus mimed zipping his lips shut.

“Oh, you're no fun.” Izzy pouted briefly before breaking into another smile.

“Wait till you know me better, my dear!” he replied, with a mischievous grin.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I hope you enjoyed that...next time the episode drops...what can possibly go wrong....?
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and words cannot express how much your support has helped with writing this. Seriously you're all stars and I love you.
> 
> Tigs (@the-burning-tiger on Tumblr) xox xox


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus and Alec watch the season premier with their respective families. What could possibly go wrong....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to admit I loved writing this chapter because honestly family feels is totally my jam...I really hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Again a huge thank you for all your support ...seriously you guys are the best and I'm blown away by all your lovely comments so thank you.

It’d been one week since Izzy had come back from meeting Magnus bouncing with excitement, which made it two weeks since Alec had humiliated himself in front of said man.

All of which was the reason that Alec was currently uncomfortably sandwiched between his brother and sister, waiting for the season premier of ‘The High Warlock of Brooklyn’.

Izzy had been so stoked that her guest spot was featuring on the very first episode of the new look season that he didn't have the heart to discourage her idea of a family get together to watch the show. His only consolation was that it was highly unlikely that he’d even appear, after all, who'd be interested in some tongue tied idiot fangirling over Magnus?

“Nah, I'm good.” Distractedly, Alec waved away the beer Jace offered him.

“Ah c’mon Alec, live a little..” Jace waggled the bottle temptingly. “You can take a day off training.”

Alec sighed heavily, he wasn't really a drinker but maybe it might calm his nerves a little. Not that he was anxious about seeing the show, nope not at all, and so what if he was? It was nothing to do with him being worried about his reaction to seeing Magnus, even if it was on the small screen. No if he was edgy, which he decidedly was not, it was because he hoped the filming would show the Institute in a good light.

“Fine ok, just one.” Alec attempted to relax back on the sofa they were all sat on, happy with his justification of his nerves. Jace just grinned in response.

“Hey Iz, do you know what footage they’ll show? Man I hope they show that quad, that would be sweet. I tell you, Meliorn will freak out if he sees it.” Jace grinned as he uncapped his bottle and took a large swig.

“Mean..” Izzy leant round Alec and swiped at a still smirking Jace who just shrugged in response.

“Oh you’re just sore ‘cos you had a thing with him..” He laughed.

“Well we all have our things don't we..?” Alec ignored the pointed look that his sister gave him.

It was well known that Meliorn, a top Canadian gymnast, was Jace’s closest competitor for a gold medal on the floor and also an old fling of Isabelle’s.

“Anyway, to answer your question, I don't know. From what Magnus told me, he’d only seen bits of the episode himself he’s been that busy” Izzy grabbed her own drink and sat back.

Alec nervously picked at the label on his bottle as the adverts before the show started.

“Alec, relax.” Izzy nudged him.

“I'm fine..” he grumbled concentrating as hard as he could on stopping his leg jiggling.

“Seriously, you are gonna love the gallery trick. It was epic..” Izzy smiled reassuringly at him and Alec did his best to return the smile, although his attempt was halfhearted at best.

It was of course true that he was excited to see the illusion his sister had described on the screen, and were it not for the worry about the Institute footage, he’d be excited to watch the show.

Before Alec had a chance to reply the opening credits started and Alec knew there was no going back.

_“So here we are again, another season. This year I’ve been able to do a fair bit of travelling but whenever I get back, the first place I go is Brooklyn, the place I grew up and the one place that feels like home. So after my break I was keen to come back to the place I love and spread a little bit of my own form of magic…”_ Magnus’ silky tones came over the speakers as the screen showed him walking down the Brooklyn streets greeting passers by.

As ever, Magnus looked stunning in a red and gold low cut tunic top and skinny jeans and Alec was most definitely not staring at his amazing ass.

Alec sighed and took a large mouthful of his beer, scrunching his nose slightly at the taste. It was going to be the longest hour of his life.

………

Ordinarily Magnus was a huge fan of family tradition, but at the moment he was seriously wondering what had ever possessed him to start the ritual of a family gathering to watch the season premier.

As usual, Jocelyn and Luke had outdone themselves with nibbles and copious bottles of wine, and coupled with the fact that Clary’s show was included in the episode, there was more excitement than usual.

Magnus leaned forward and grabbed his glass of wine, practically draining it in one gulp, which didn't go unnoticed by Jocelyn.

“You Ok?” She asked quietly as Clary, Simon and Luke argued over the best type of popcorn.

“Of course.” Magnus halfheartedly waved away her concerns. “Just nervous about how the new format plays out.”

Jocelyn nodded, despite not looking the least bit convinced. Magnus hadn't told his family anything about what had happened in the Institute, despite Clary’s almost incessant questioning about what Jace Lightwood was like. It’d been bad enough fending off Cat and Ragnor’s attempts at matchmaking, it would be even worse if his family got involved.

“Shhh, it's starting!” Clary exclaimed as the music started whilst Simon tapped his thigh happily in time to the drum beat on the opening credits.

_Well here goes nothing!_ Magnus thought, helping himself to another glass of wine, safe in the knowledge that he was probably going to need the alcohol to get through this if what Cat, Ragnor and Raphael had said was even close to the truth.

……..

By the first advert break Alec had started to relax somewhat, although that may have been at least in part to the warm buzz from his beer. For once, he was glad that his largely teetotal ways meant that he had practically no tolerance for alcohol.

“Oh my god, it’s the gallery.” Izzy pointed at the screen excitedly as the arrival of Magnus played out on the TV.

_“One of the great things about coming home was that I managed to be around for my sister’s first art exhibition. I just couldn't resist putting on a show for her, afterall, she encouraged me to carry on down my magical path. See, now you know who to blame..”_

Alec wondered to himself how even Magnus’ voice could be that attractive and well, the little laugh at the end of his speech had him reaching for another beer.

The show cleverly used the artwork as a perfect background to Magnus’ illusions, with even the most uptight art fans seemingly falling under the man’s spell.

As the scene changed, Izzy squealed happily and patted his arm repeatedly.

“It’s me. You wait till you see what Magnus does.” Alec smiled down at his sister who could barely sit still.

There was no doubt that Magnus was at his most charming talking to his sister and Alec envied the easy banter the pair of them struck up so readily. If only he’d been able to do the same.

“Woah...how the hell did he do that..” Even Jace was impressed with Magnus’ skills and Alec had to stifle a laugh.

“What do you mean you can't work it out already?” Alec couldn't resist one little jibe. Fortunately, before Jace could respond, the show cut to Magnus calling his sister oClary over and that certainly got his brother's attention.

“Is that Magnus’ sister?” Jace sat forward, elbows on his knees, staring intently at the screen. “Man, she’s so hot…”

Alec rolled his eyes and clearly Jace caught sight of him out of the corner of his eye.

“Dude, what? You know I have a thing for redheads.” He pouted.

“You have a thing for anything with a pulse..” Alec muttered, knowing full well that his brother had quite the reputation.

“Truth hurts..” Izzy laughed as Jace just gave his siblings the finger in response.

“I hate you both, you know..” Jace huffed.

“Smart, hate the person who could arrange for you to meet her if she wanted..” Izzy teased.

“Seriously..?” Alec looked at his brother in confusion, Jace seemed inordinately excited at the idea of meeting the petite redhead, and it was a little out of character to be honest.

“Yeah, now shush..you won't want to miss this.” Izzy turned her attention back to the screen whilst Jace just grinned to himself.

…….

So far, the evening was going really well Magnus thought, as he dived into yet another glass of wine. The street magic at the beginning of the episode had gone down a storm with his family and Simon was currently made up with the footage of ‘Rock Solid Panda’ and the fact that Magnus had named checked them.

Generally, Magnus was really happy with the editing on the gallery footage and the section with Isabelle Lightwood had played out better than he’d hoped, with Raphael working miracles behind the lens once again.

“Ok, I am totally gonna work out how you did this…” Clary sat forward and watched the screen closely as the painting trick began.

“Be my guest..” Magnus waved a hand mischievously.

Silence reigned as the group watched the show, Clary and Simon giving their full attention to different parts of the screen, determined not to be distracted by Magnus’ showmanship.

“Dammit..nope. That is literally impossible.” Clary sat back pouting, folding her arms petulantly in front of herself.

“Oh honey..” Jocelyn laughed at her daughter's antics, only to be fixed by her daughter’s eagle-like stare.

“You know..” Clary pointed her finger accusingly, before noticing the glance Jocelyn and Luke shared. “You both know…”

“I don't know what you mean..” Luke replied a look of mock innocence on his face, although his smirk somewhat gave the game away.

“You totally do...You have to tell me..” Clary glanced between the pair as if looking for a weak link.

“I really don’t..” Luke grinned and winked conspiratorially at Magnus.

Clary narrowed her eyes and stared at him.

“Yeah, the vampire stare, nicely played Clary.” Simon clapped his hands together happily.

“You do remember what I do for a living right?” Luke chuckled. “I'm pretty sure I can hold out against Clary if I can deal with a defence attorney..”

“I hate you all, you know that..” Clary sighed admitting defeat, but not before throwing popcorn at Luke.

“Well, except you Simon..” She added hastily, seeing the affronted look on her friend’s face.

………...

All in all Alec had been coping pretty well so far, but as soon as the screen filled with the image of the front of the Institute, his heart started to race.

_“Not only was my sister’s show an amazing experience but I also got to meet the lovely Isabelle Lightwood and when she invited me to visit her in training there was no way I could resist…”_

As the footage showed Izzy greeting Magnus, Alec reached for another beer, trying to hide the fact that his hands were shaking. He knew he was being ridiculous, after all, how bad could it be? Even though it was highly unlikely that they would show much of him, it would nonetheless be a reminder of just how dumb he’d been.

Everyone was watching the screen intently as the scene changed to show Magnus arriving at the training room, and Alec was glad of the silence. The look on Magnus’ face as he took it all in was so beautiful that Alec’s heart was practically beating out of his chest.

“Yes, they showed the quad. Man, I totally nailed it. Take that, Meliorn.” Jace fist bumped the air as the camera focused in on his interaction with Magnus, and amusing as it was to see his brother desperately trying to lift Magnus and epically failing, Alec was too stressed to laugh.

“Oh my god, Alec look..Magnus totally keeps looking over in your direction..” Izzy exclaimed.

He didn't have the strength to reply as it seemed all his attention was focused on just breathing. He honestly felt like he was about to black out as he saw himself appear on the screen.

“Wow, that’s adorable. I mean I was there and even I didn't realise the two of you were that frigging cute together.” Izzy laughed as she watched what was possibly the most embarrassing footage of himself Alec had ever seen.

“Bro, seriously, you two are sickeningly cute.” Jace agreed.

“Shut up.” Alec grumbled, blushing bright crimson before putting his head in his hands.

……….

Magnus was well on the way to being more than a little merry by the time the Institute footage showed up, a fact he was really rather grateful for. Of course he knew that the worst was yet to come and he felt pretty sure that the section after the illusion was going to be the most damning of all.

“Jeez, Jace Lightwood is just too hot…” Clary sighed dreamily as she watched the screen, whilst Simon was quietly watching Isabelle with a somewhat mesmerised look on his face.

“That quad was pretty impressive..” Luke nodded.

“It was amazing. Magnus, you didn't tell me you spoke to him..” Clary continued firing questions at Magnus trying to get every detail about the blonde which he'd only been half listening to as he felt himself unable to look away from the screen as Alec appeared.

“Seriously. What the hell. Hey Mrs F, rewind that..” Simon exclaimed as Magnus raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Jocelyn just smiled and shook her head before complying.

“Man, I see it but I don't believe it. Alec Lightwood smiled. I mean, like properly smiled.” Simon grinned.

“Magnus...you flirted with Alec. How could you not tell me that..?” Clary slapped his arm before grabbing onto his bicep with a vice like grip. “That's adorable…”

Magnus opened his mouth to answer but his family all started talking excitedly.

“He is very handsome.” Jocelyn grinned.

“Nice one bro..” from Simon.

Even Luke signalled his approval with an enthusiastic thumbs up.

“Ok, everybody stop..” Magnus raised a hand to silence them. “Firstly, I did not flirt with Alexander..”

There was a sea of groans and catcalls in response.

“Secondly, I only met the poor boy for a short time.” He added.

“Yes, but you like him, honey.” Jocelyn said in her most calming mum voice.

“I…”

“Of course he does. Hell he’s had a crush on that man for years..” Simon chimed in oblivious to the glare that was sent his way..

“I have not.” Magnus folded his arms and stared back defiantly.

“Shut up, of course you have. Last Olympics you kept saying you wanted to climb him like a tree..” Clary leapt to Simon’s defence.

“Ok, so that _does_ sound like something I’d say but…”

“Joss and I have had to sit through hours of you and Clary arguing over the Lightwoods..” Luke added.

“Oh for the love of god, there is nothing going on between me and Alexander Lightwood!” Magnus shouted before slumping back on the sofa.

…….

“Look, all I'm saying is I'm glad you’re gay, ‘cos seriously dude, I wouldn't have any chance with women with you around.” Jace declared.

It was official, Alec Lightwood was in hell. Foolishly, he’d thought that once his cringeworthy meeting with Magnus was over, it would get better from there. What he hadn't factored in was the footage of the aftermath of Magnus’ butterfly trick.

“No wonder Magnus was checking you out..” Izzy started.

“He wasn't..” Alec was fighting a losing battle here.

“Yeah bro, he totally was, and seriously, how is it possible to look that hot holding a butterfly...It’s not fair.” Jace pouted.

“See, it’s not just me.” Izzy turned her attention back to her phone which she’d be tapping away on for the the last half an hour.

“Look guys, just stop Ok? And Izzy, for the love of god, will you put that phone down…?” Alec pinched the bridge of his nose, getting increasingly frustrated with how the conversation was going. “What the hell are you doing anyway..?”

“Live tweeting…” Izzy replied, smiling wickedly.

“What….?” Alec looked at his sister in horror.

“Cool..what're they saying?” Jace sprang to his feet and moved over to sit on the armrest next to Izzy, peering at the screen over her shoulder. “Woah…”

“I know right…” Izzy giggled.

………..

After his outburst things had calmed down temporarily, but Magnus certainly knew better than to hope it would last. His prediction was totally correct.

“So, wanna try and convince me you don't like Alec again…?” Clary nudged him playfully in the ribs as Magnus just groaned and ducked his head.

There was no way round it, he knew his family far too well, his only option was to confess all. Taking a deep breath he sat up straight.

“Okay, fine. Yes, Alexander is a remarkably attractive man..” He held a finger aloft to try and silence the excited shrieks around him. “But no, there is nothing going on…”

“But why..?” Simon asked with his customary bluntness, a look of genuine confusion on his face.

Magnus sighed deeply and rolled his eyes before launching into the increasingly familiar monologue of his exact reasons why he and Alexander Lightwood were not suited. He was rather proud of how articulate his reasons were until the loud pinging of his phone interrupted his flow.

_Congratulations on going viral - Raphael._

Magnus’ heart sank knowing there was no way a text from Raphael could be anything but bad news. Before he had a chance to fully process what was going on, Clary swiped the phone from his hand and had danced over to the other side of the room, with Simon acting as her defence.

“Clary…” Magnus warned.

“Wow, you're trending on Twitter...this is awesome. Oh my god, there’s a meme...and like.” Clary was laughing so hard she was somewhat distracted and Magnus took full advantage to retrieve his phone.

Looking at the screen, the enormity of the situation hit him. Not only were there pages and pages of tweets speculating about Alec and him, but people had already made memes of them too. He would've been impressed that they’d done it so quickly were it not for the fact that Clary had liked one of Alec smiling at him, and worse still, had done under his login.

…………

“Ok, will someone tell me what the hell is going on?” Alec had stood up and was starting to pace anxiously, running his fingers through his hair in a vain attempt to calm himself.

“Bro, you're trending…” Jace grinned at him.

“I'm what..?” Oh god, he was seriously in danger of throwing up.

“Yeah, it wasn't just us who thought you guys were cute..” Jace winked.

“You even have a ship name ..” Izzy giggled.

“A what now?” Alec paused in his pacing and stared at his siblings, brows furrowed.

“Don't you know anything?” Izzy rolled her eyes. “A ship name, y’know, take the names of a couple and mash them together..”

“What..?” Alec practically mouthed the word having apparently lost the power of speech.

“Malec..nice, I like it..” Jace grinned.

“Yeah, me too..” Izzy agreed.

“Better than Agnus...that sounds like a skin disease..” Jace was enjoying himself way too much.

The thought briefly crossed Alec’s mind that maybe this was what going mad felt like, before his sister squealed loudly, holding her hand to her mouth.

“Hey Casanova..dude you're only a goddam meme..” Jace was practically crying with laughter.

With his head swimming, he walked over to his siblings and looked at the screen. Someone had got a screen grab of Alec smiling like an idiot at Magnus when they first met, and under it was the caption...

_Find someone who looks at you the way Alec Lightwood looks at Magnus Bane._

“Alec, this is epic…” Izzy looked up at him. “Magnus liked it…”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I think we can safely say things didn't go entirely to plan...or did they?
> 
> As ever feel free to shout at me either here or on tumblr @the-burning-tiger. Your comments and theories make my day xox


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the episode....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note to say, as ever a huge thanks for all your support. You guys are great and I can't believe how amazing you've been about this silly little fic.
> 
> I really hope you like this... the story is kind of moving on to the next phase so this is sort of a filler in some ways.
> 
> To my wonderful beta LadyMatt you're as always an absolute legend and ILYSM I really do...couldn't do it without you..

Waking up the next morning, Alec remembered two things in quick succession.

Firstly, that there was a reason he rarely drank. His head currently felt like something was trying to break out of his skull with a pick axe and his mouth felt drier than the Sahara desert. How Izzy and Jace managed to party as hard as they did and still train he didn't know, even the thought of moving right now seemed a step too far.

The second thing was, if possible, more uncomfortable. Naively he’d thought that his embarrassment would be limited to his siblings, what he hadn't expected was that things would blow up in the epic way they had.

Groaning, Alec reached for his phone, dreading what he would find. Although he’d never been active on social media, Izzy had insisted he had a Twitter and Instagram account, pointing out that otherwise people may pretend to be him online. Whilst he rarely posted himself, his sister had taken it upon herself to put up photos of him training on his behalf.

Unlocking his screen he looked blearily at the epic list of notifications, and if he didn't feel nauseous enough with his hangover, that certainly did the trick.

His follower count had almost doubled overnight and people seemed determined to tag Magnus and him in every post. Not only was there the meme of him smiling at Magnus, there was another of Magnus looking at him with #relationshipgoals written underneath.

With a groan Alec threw his phone across the room, and grabbing a pillow, covered his face.

Hearing the door to his room open, he briefly considered feigning sleep just to postpone having to face the world, but as he felt the mattress dip, he knew there was no escaping the inevitable.

‘Hey big brother, I brought you an energy drink and some Advil, I figured you might need them.” Izzy giggled.

“Thanks, you can leave them on the side,” came the muffled reply.

“Nope, no can do. You're gonna have to come out to get them.” She replied in a sing song voice. “C’mon Alec, it's not that bad.”

Peering out from his pillow, Alec threw his best death stare at his sister.

“Honestly it’s not, and hey, at least you know it's not just Jace and I that think Magnus likes you..” Izzy shrugged, a cheeky smile on her face.

“Are you kidding me right now?” Alec sat up and pretty much instantly regretted it.

“Alec..”

“You know what? I really, really can't deal with this right now, so if you want to do anything for me, then just make sure everyone stays away from me until I've worked out how to handle all of this.” Alec knew he was overreacting, but honestly, with the way he felt right now he couldn't seem to control himself. The fact that his pounding head made it pretty much impossible to return to his default defence when emotions were getting too much and work out to the point of exhaustion wasn't making life any easier either.

Izzy opened her mouth as if to speak before thinking better of it, and simply smiling softly and patting his arm before leaving him to it.

As soon as she’d left, Alec let out a deep breath that he’d not even been aware he was holding. Grabbing the drink his sister had left, he swallowed the two pills before crawling under the covers again in the vain hope that, if he hid for long enough, the whole mess would just go away.

………….

In Brooklyn, Magnus wasn't having the best of mornings either. At the first possible opportunity he’d escaped his family and grabbed an Uber back to his loft and made a serious dent in a bottle of whiskey, rather than deal with the fallout from the episode.

Ordinarily he was very active on social media, but this unexpected response to their apparent 'chemistry' and left him unsure of how to proceed. He’d kidded himself that it was because he didn't want to disappoint his fans by denying a relationship with Alec, but on the drive home he’d realised it was more than that.

Rather than deal with the terrifying reality of a single meeting with Alec affecting him more than anyone had before, drowning his sorrows in alcohol had seemed like a much better solution. It was a decision he was most definitely regretting now.

All morning his phone had been buzzing, and even though he’d declined every single call, it wasn't helping his mood in the slightest.

Magnus decided that the best solution right now was to hide away until such time as he was literally forced into dealing with the situation.

………………..

“Alec, hold up!” Ignoring the distinctive sound of his sister running after him, Alec continued striding down the corridor until he felt a hand on his arm. Thankfully it hadn't taken long for the painkillers to work, and as soon as they had, hiding in his room no longer seemed an option.

Fortunately, he'd managed to sneak out of the Institute and go for a run, the fresh air working miracles, but now he was back, reality was definitely kicking in and not in a pleasant way.

“Iz, I told you….” he glared down at his sister.

“I know, I know. I tried, I really did but Mom’s looking for you and you know what she's like.” Izzy looked at him sympathetically. “It's probably nothing but…”

Izzy’s words faded away, which meant she was as unconvinced as he was.

“Fine..” Alec shook off Izzy’s hand and set his shoulders in determination.

Strictly speaking he didn't know what his mother wanted, but if Maryse Lightwood was anything, it was thorough and there was no doubt in his mind that she'd know exactly what had happened. He had hoped, possibly in vain, that she'd have taken her default position of ignoring anything to do with his sexuality in the hope that it would just go away like the dirty little secret she thought it was. Somehow he doubted that was the case this time.

Ignoring the look on his sister's face, which in his opinion bordered on pity, he headed towards his mother's office.

Knocking on the door with way more confidence than he felt, Alec waited to hear Maryse’s voice sharply answer with a single word. Enter!

Alec gritted his teeth and opened the door to be greeted with his mother's stony expression and two people he hadn't counted on being present, his father and Victor Aldertree.

The silence was deafening and Alec felt the weight of their gazes on him as he closed the door. Turning to face them, he stood straight, hands clasped behind his back.

Clearly they had been in the middle of something, judging by the looks on his father and Victor’s faces, whilst Maryse observed him from her seated position on the opposite side of the desk. Victor was sitting in front of the desk and had his finger poised over the screen on his tablet as if waiting for someone to speak first, whilst Robert Lightwood stood beside his wife.

“What have you done, Alec? To us, to this family.” Of course it was Maryse who spoke first and every word seemed to be perfused with a simmering anger.

“What?” Alec mouthed, trying to keep his face as calm as possible. One thing he'd learnt over the years was if you showed any sign of weakness in front of Maryse Lightwood, she would pounce on it with the same ruthlessness as a hawk catching a mouse.

“Maryse, we spoke about this.” Robert placed a hand on his wife’s shoulder, which she shrugged off angrily.

“No we didn't. All I heard was Victor tell us he had a plan to turn this to our advantage, all of which wouldn't be necessary if Alec had simply kept his proclivities to himself.” Maryse narrowed her eyes as she stared at Alec. “He has turned this Institute into a laughing stock, an internet joke..”

Alec could practically see the steam coming out of his mother's ears.

“Maryse, if I may?” Victor interrupted calmly, and for once Alec was glad he was there. As their new Head of Marketing, Alec had never trusted the man, finding him way too smooth to be entirely trustworthy but at least he seemed to be able to get through to Maryse when no one in the family could.

Sighing with frustration, Maryse nodded towards Victor.

“Thank you. Well obviously the situation is rather unprecedented, but on the back of the Twitter storm of last night, I have received some rather interesting enquiries this morning regarding sponsorship of Alec.” Victor pulled up a series of emails on his tablet.

“I hardly think the sort of company who would suddenly now wish to sponsor Alexander would be of the calibre that we would want to associate with.” Maryse muttered contemptuously.

“Let him speak, Maryse.” Robert spoke softly and his mother simply huffed in annoyance.

Why he was even here he didn't know. Absolutely no one in the room seemed in anyway interested in what he had to say, not that he was really surprised.

“Actually, that’s not strictly true. You may not be aware but Mr Bane is considered quite the style icon and has thus attracted the attention of some high end brands.” Victor paused for effect before Maryse nodded for him to continue. “So far I have received enquiries from, hmm let me see, ah yes Ralph Lauren, Yves Saint Lauren, Prada and Burberry to name but a few, all of whom are interested in having Alec model their lines.”

“Really?” Maryse’s mood seemed to change almost instantly and she leaned forward on her desk, her interest piqued with talk of publicity.

“Indeed. There is, however, a catch. The companies are interested in Alec’s association with Mr Bane, which would no doubt bring more publicity their way.” Victor placed his tablet down on the desk and looked at Maryse steadily.

“What exactly are you suggesting Mr Aldertree?” Maryse asked carefully, and to be honest, Alec was wondering exactly the same thing.

Victor sat back in his chair, a small smile playing at his lips.

“I know we discussed denying any relationship, but what if we were to do the exact opposite?” Victor put his forefingers and thumbs together and held them to his chin as he waited for his words to sink in.

“What?” The words blurted out of Alec’s mouth before he could stop them.

“Alexander, be quiet.” Maryse glared at him before turning back to Victor. “I'm listening.”

Maryse raised a perfectly coiffed eyebrow, apparently intent on listening to this madness.

“I had a rather interesting conversation with Mr Bane’s TV studio and they floated an offer. They are obviously delighted by the buzz surrounding the episode and we have had preliminary discussions regarding Alec appearing in future episodes and accompanying Mr Bane to certain functions.” Victor retrieved his tablet and tapped away at it. “For example, the studio have expressed an interest in Alec attending the Teen Choice Awards with Mr Bane the weekend after next. As Jace and Isabelle are already set to appear due to their nominations, I thought it would be a good initial appearance. A chance to test the water, shall we say.”

“Okay, are we sure this is the right thing to do though…?” Robert asked, looking between his wife and Victor. It appeared that no one even cared for Alec’s opinion on the matter despite the fact it was his life they seemed so intent on messing with.

Despite his misgivings, he couldn't seem to form the words and had to settle for watching the proceedings with mounting horror.

“I think so. I honestly feel that any attempt at a denial would be pointless, and furthermore, by acknowledging the situation we are projecting the image of a progressive training school that is more interested in talent than anything else.” Victor sat back, apparently happy with his argument.

Alec shook his head in disbelief and couldn't help but snort at the last comment.

“You have something to add Alexander?” Maryse sneered.

Alec paused for a second, staring back at his mother, determined not to flinch under her unwavering gaze.

“Actually, yes I do.” Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves before he continued. “I don't understand why you would even consider this. You talk about the school being seen as progressive, but you don't actually care about it. You think I don't know the fact that I'm not the perfect straight son is downright embarrassing for you..”

“Alexander.” Maryse shouted, standing up. “That is enough. I have gone out of my way to ensure your private life remains just that and this is the thanks I get?”

Alec stared at her incredulously, wondering if she actually believed what she said.

“Clearly I was foolish to believe that was what you wanted after all. You wanted this all out in the open and I warned you there would be consequences, and now that there are, I think at the very least you should face up to them.” Maryse spat before smoothing her hair down and sitting down again.

“And what about what I want? Or doesn't that count anymore?” Alec was shaking with frustration.

“Perhaps you should've considered that before. I think under the circumstances, a few evenings of your time is not too much to ask in order to preserve the reputation of this establishment.”

“You mean fabricate it.” Alec muttered under his breath.

“Would you care to repeat that?” Maryse glared.

Sensing he was fighting a losing battle, Alec decided on a different approach.

“What about what Magnus wants? Why would he possibly agree…?”

Maryse waved away his argument.

“Oh I hardly think that conjurer would turn down free publicity.”

“And my training, the world championships are a few months away.” He knew he was clutching at straws but the situation seemed to be spiralling rapidly out of control.

“According to Hodge, you are ahead of schedule and I hardly think the occasional night will cause a problem.” Maryse sneered. Desperately looking for support from his father, and unsurprisingly finding none, Alec felt his shoulders slump. “Fine, then we are agreed. Victor will make the arrangements and we shall see how things proceed.”

With that, Maryse turned her attention back to the paperwork on her desk.

Obviously Victor realised, as far as Maryse was concerned, the conversation was over and grabbing his tablet, he exited the office. Alec swiftly followed, needing space to try and make sense of everything that had just unfolded.

Before closing the door he heard his father speak, and keeping the door slightly ajar, he couldn't resist the urge to listen.

“Maryse, are we sure this is a good idea? I mean are we being entirely fair to Alec?”

Alec heard his mother sigh before answering.

“Alexander will be fine. It's high time he stepped up and helped the Institute, quite frankly, we've shielded him far too long.” Shielding him? So that's what she called it, not hiding him away for fear of the Lightwood’s perfectly crafted reputation.

“Yes but Magnus Bane, he does have the reputation as quite the lothario…” Robert continued.

“Alexander may be many things, but I did not raise my son to be an idiot. I'm quite sure he will soon see through that glittery facade and then all this foolishness will be over, once and for all.”

“And if he gets hurt in the process..?”

“Well then, it's a lesson he needs to learn for his own good.”

Alec had heard enough.  
………

So far, Magnus’ planned day of hibernation was going rather well, even if he said so himself. At some point his cat Chairman Miaow had joined him on the bed and for the last hour they'd been happily watching Netflix and relaxing.

The sound of the front door of his loft opening however made it quite clear that the good times were well and truly over. Magnus shuffled further down into the bed, dislodging the Chairman who jumped onto the floor, having thrown a filthy look in his direction.

Realistically there were only a few people who it could possibly be, his family, Cat and Ragnor and he really, really hoped it wasn't Ragnor.

“Magnus.” He groaned inwardly as his worst fears were confirmed and he halfheartedly tried to pretend to still be asleep.

Entirely as expected, his friend wasn't that easily discouraged and before long he heard the distinctive sound of the bedroom door opening.

“So you're not dead then..” Ragnor muttered as Magnus screwed his eyes tightly shut. “Oh for the love of god, stop faking it, I'm not an idiot. Now get dressed, we need to sort some plans out, and quite frankly, I need tea if I'm going to deal this this sort of melodrama.”

Magnus heard Ragnor leave and could hear him clattering around in the kitchen a few seconds later, no doubt complaining about his lack of proper tea.

With a sigh he dragged himself out of bed and grabbed his favourite purple silk robe, believing firmly that if you were going to face an awkward conversation, you should at least look fabulous when enduring it. He had considered for more than a minute just stubbornly lying in bed, but knowing Ragnor, he would've simply come back in and pulled all the sheets off. Nonetheless, Ragnor could at the very least wait until he'd made himself look presentable, he thought, as he sat down in front of his make up mirror.

By the time he reached the sitting room, Ragnor had already settled into his favourite chair and was nursing a mug of tea in his hands with a slightly disgusted look on his face.

“Ah, finally he graces us with his presence.” Ragnor muttered.

“Remind me why did I give you keys to my loft.” Magnus sat on the sofa with a dramatic huff.

“Because there should be at least one responsible person who has access to this place.” Ragnor fired back.

“Which explains Cat. You, not so much..” Magnus pouted.

“Oh you're just sore because I interrupted your self indulgent moping, which may I add, I wouldn't have had to do if you'd actually answered your phone.” Ragnor shrugged.

In lieu of a witty response, Magnus just sulked and slumped down on the sofa.

“I would also point out that your lack of communication has given me no choice but to make certain decisions on your behalf..” Ragnor continued, a half smile on his face which Magnus found distinctly disconcerting.

“Ragnor, what have you done…?” Magnus rubbed his fingers together anxiously, certain that his friend not even trying to hide his amusement could only mean trouble.

“Oh, nothing much..” There was no mistaking the mischief in Ragnor’s expression now.

“Ragnor…”

“Well, firstly let me say that the studio was delighted with the premier. Apparently the social media involvement was, and I quote directly here, off the chart, whatever that means.” Ragnor raised an eyebrow as Magnus groaned. “And I have had multiple phone calls with them today to discuss possible ways of maintaining the shows increased popularity.”

“Ok.” Magnus eyed him with suspicion.

“Yes and I can't help but feel we’ve come to the perfect solution.” Ragnor sipped his tea and grimaced. “Honestly, why you American’s can't have a half decent cup of tea is utterly beyond me.”

“And the solution is…” It was totally like Ragnor to get distracted by something as stupid as the quality of a hot beverage, and as usual ,Magnus felt the need to gently nudge him back to the subject in hand.

“The solution, oh yes. Well, we’ve been having some very interesting discussions all day and the long and short of it is we all feel it would be of benefit to include Alexander Lightwood in the new footage we’re filming.” Magnus looked at his friend in disbelief, not really sure what to say.

“Not to be a party pooper here but I seriously doubt that’s going to happen.” Magnus replied, examining his fingernails to avoid looking at Ragnor, who would see in a second his growing sense of unease.

“Au contraire, it's all decided. The studio has spoken to the Institute and by all accounts they were very amenable.” Yep, Ragnor was most definitely smug and that was a very bad sign.

“What..?” Magnus gasped.

“Yes, well apparently as the delightful Isabelle is already attending the Teen Choice Awards with the blonde one, it has been decided that Alexander will accompany them.” Ragnor had largely ignored Magnus throughout the whole conversation.

“Excuse me.” What was meant as a question came out as a rather undignified squeak.

“Yes, as your date. Furthermore, he will attend Pandemonium for the Bat Velasquez filming, in the same capacity. I would've thought you would be pleased.” It was the final straw for Magnus who sat bolt upright.

“Pleased? Really, are you insane? Actually no, don't answer that. You are basically suggesting that I fake date Alexander Lightwood for what, for ratings...and you think I should be pleased about it?” Magnus was practically seething. This was just typical, he had no idea what Ragnor was thinking but there was no way he could possibly have expected any other reaction from Magnus.

The worst part, the very worst part, was that however much Magnus tried to deny it, there was more than a little bit of him that actually was pleased. Like it or not, somewhere deep down he was excited at the prospect of seeing Alec again and that, if anything, made him angrier still. Did they not realise Alec was obviously shy, to force him into the limelight that was Magnus’ life, wasn't even slightly fair to him.

“Well yes, pleased.” Ragnor smirked at him, eyebrow raised. “Weren't you just telling us the other night how totally unsuited you and Alexander were? Well this way you get to know him, and if in fact you are correct in your supposition, then you can prove us wrong. We're all quite aware how much you love doing that.”

Magnus was speechless, he couldn't find a reasonable argument in return. Ragnor finished up his tea and stood up dramatically.

“Well, now that’s cleared up, I have far more important things to do than deal with your ongoing denial.”

“My what?”

“Magnus my old friend, you know _exactly_ what I mean. May I suggest next time, should you not want me to make decisions on your behalf, you, oh I don't know, answer your phone rather than attempt to avoid situations. Hiding your head in the sand never works for anyone, not even ostriches, dear boy.” Ragnor nodded his head and smiled, seemingly more than happy with his last jibe and left Magnus to his thoughts.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that happened....
> 
> I'm going to try and get a new chapter out next week but I might not manage it as  
> A) I might be dead after ep 18  
> B) I'm recovering from surgery so I'm still a bit woozy.
> 
> I love to hear what you think so feel free to shout at me ....


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Alec and Magnus come to terms with their situation.

Five minutes. The amount of time it took after Ragnor had left for Magnus’ mood to turn from shocked anger to downright furious. Reaching for his phone he paced the loft waiting for the call to connect.

_“Hi Magnus..”_

“Did you know? Please tell me you didn't because right now I don't want to believe that _two_ of my oldest friends could betray me like this.” Magnus barely gave Cat a chance to answer before he launched into his tirade.

_“Hey slow down, what are you talking about?”_ Cat sounded confused, reassuring him that perhaps, she at least, hadn't been involved.

“Ragnor, the studio, the Institute, all of them thinking there's nothing wrong with playing with my life like it's some sort of game.” Magnus sighed, running his fingers over his ear cuff before continuing. “They want me to pretend to date Alexander Lightwood.”

_“They what..?”_

“You heard me. Apparently it's all arranged and I have no say whatsoever, Ragnor even thought I’d be pleased. Can you believe it? I mean, in what reality could I possibly be pleased and it’s not even that bad for me. I'm used to publicity, I'm used to the whole freak show that is celebrity but Alexander, how can he possibly be prepared for this? You met him Cat, he’s shy and sweet and they've thrown him to the lions and, quite frankly, I'm the only one who seems to give a damn.”

_“Magnus, calm down. Look let me…”_ Cat tried to placate him but there was no way he was going to let her just now.

“No. You and I both know he’s been bullied into doing this, honestly there’s no other explanation and it's not right. Seriously, how am I the only one seeing this? Has the world gone mad and no one told me? You know Ragnor even had the audacity to tell me this was my fault for not answering my phone this morning, as if that would've made any difference whatsoever.” Magnus glanced up at the sound of the loft door opening to see Luke arriving laden with some Tupperware containers.

_“Ok so this is bad, just you wait till I get my hands on Ragnor he’s..well you don't want to know what I'm going to do to that idiot.”_ It was with some degree of satisfaction that he heard the anger simmering under the surface of Cat’s words.

Luke raised a questioning eyebrow and indicated over his shoulder, asking if Magnus wanted him to leave. Shaking his head, Magnus raised a hand to indicate he wouldn't be long.

“Good. Look Luke’s just arrived so..”

_“Of course. Listen Magnus, don't worry, we’ll sort this mess out..”_

“Thanks Cat.”

Magnus flung his phone down on the coffee table in frustration.

“Joss sent me round to check you were Ok after last night, you know how she worries. Apparently she was right.” Luke smiled sympathetically as Magnus just rolled his eyes and threw himself into an armchair. “Anyway you've got enough chicken cacciatore there to feed a small army.”

Magnus smiled a little, glad of Luke’s presence which was always calming.

Placing the boxes down on the table, Luke sat down next to him.

“Wanna talk about it?” He asked softly.

How Luke knew exactly the right thing to say, he didn't know, but Magnus found himself blurting out the whole sorry tale. All the while, Luke listened patiently, not interrupting once, simply nodding in understanding.

“What I don't get is why on earth Alexander would've agreed to this.” There it was, the one thing that was really puzzling about the whole situation. Perhaps he just didn't have the slightest idea of what he was getting into. Luke chuckled softly. “What?” Magnus furrowed his brows.

“I take it you haven't had the pleasure of Maryse Lightwood?” Luke replied.

“Well no, only briefly and to be fair, Isabelle wasn't exactly complementary…” Magnus had got the distinct impression from her that her mother liked to micromanage everything to do with her children's careers and his brief encounter with the woman herself hadn't exactly given him a warm and fuzzy impression.

“I bet. Granted, I haven't spoken to her in years but the one thing about Maryse was she was always beyond ambitious and I seriously doubt that’s changed at all. If she sees an opportunity, I really doubt Alec had much of a say in the matter.” Luke shook his head sadly as he leant back a little, resting his right ankle on his left knee.

“Well doesn't that just make things worse.” Magnus slumped forward. If Luke was right, Alexander was being manipulated even more than he was.

“True. So the question is what are you going to do about it? You gonna play by their rules or make your own?” Luke shrugged.

“I don't follow..” Magnus scrunched his brow in confusion.

“Oh I think you do. You have Isabelle’s number right?”

“Well yes..” Magnus could see where the conversation was going and he wasn't exactly sure he liked it.

“So talk to Alec. The only people deciding about your lives should be the two of you..” It sounded so simple when Luke put it like that but surely it couldn't be, or could it..?

“I wouldn't know what to say..” Magnus began to speak, only to be interrupted by Luke's guffaw of laughter.

“Sorry. Magnus I've known you a long time and trust me _that_ is not a problem.” Magnus smiled tentatively back.

Feeling surprisingly nervous, Magnus reached for his phone and called Isabelle.

_“Magnus hi..look now’s not a great time..”_ Isabelle sounded distinctly flustered as she answered the phone, and if Magnus had needed any confirmation that Alec had had little say in what was going on, his sister’s tone of voice was certainly it.

“I'm sorry darling. I wouldn't call if it wasn't important. I just need Alexander’s number if that’s ok, or if not, maybe you could give him mine. Tell him we need to talk.” Magnus tried to sound as calm as possible but he couldn't help tapping his fingers together as he waited for her response. Looking up he saw Luke nod encouragingly at him and he was more than glad of his reassuring presence.

_“Oh my god, you know what’s going on...Alec had a meeting with Mom this morning and he won't speak to anyone about it and now he’s just thrown himself into training. He only does that when he’s really upset and I…Magnus, please tell me what’s going on.”_

“Izzy I'm sorry, it’s not my place, he should be the one to tell you…” Hearing the upset in Isabelle's voice made Magnus’ heart clench painfully.

_“Yeah, Ok. Look I’ll text you his number. I know him Magnus, he won’t call you, but if you can help him, well I’d really appreciate it..”_

“Thanks Izzy.”

Magnus sat back and let out a deep breath as soon as he’d hung up.

  
“I don't say this often enough Magnus. but I'm proud of the man you've become you know..” Luke stood up and squeezed his shoulder affectionately.

………….

“Alec take a break.” Hodge laid a hand on Alec’s shoulder which he shook off.

“Nah, I'm good.” Ever since the meeting, no, _ambush_ this morning Alec had thrown himself into training in the hope that driving himself to exhaustion would at least allow him to stop going over things in his head.

“No. I'm serious Alec, you carry on like this and you're going to injure yourself. That last vault was on point, we’re ahead of schedule and I'm telling you that’s enough for today, get some food, no arguing.” Hodge crossed his arms and looked at him with an expression that brooked no argument.

“Fine.” Alec scowled as he stalked to the side of the room to grab his hoodie.

Now he’d taken time to stop he’d begun to realise how hungry he was, and taking comfort in the fact that the Institute cafeteria would probably be relatively quiet, decided to go and grab some food.

Ten minutes later he’d filled up a plate and was just heading back to his room when Izzy caught up to him.

“Alec…” He had to glance away from the worried expression on his sister’s face.

“Not now, Iz..” He hadn't meant to sound so harsh but the last thing he really needed right now was to go through the whole sordid business again.

“C’mon, whatever it is can't be that bad and you need to talk…” Izzy pleaded.

“I really dont..” Alec glared at his sister.

“Ok, ok. Look, when you're ready, I'm always here and just so you know..”

“Yeah I know.” Alec didn't give her chance to finish speaking before striding off. He didn't want to to hear her pointing out so called ‘bright sides’ which quite frankly, he didn't believe existed right now.

Getting back to his room, thankfully unbothered, he slammed the door behind him before putting his plate on the bedside table and throwing himself onto the bed.

He didn't even know where to begin dealing with the situation, nothing had ever prepared him for this. The worst part was that his mother didn't even seem to give a damn how this might affect him. She’d always been driven, he knew that, but he’d always thought, clearly misguidedly, that it was because she wanted the best for her children.

The sound of his phone buzzing shook him out his thoughts and he reluctantly retrieved it. There was a notification from an unknown number and after a few moments of hesitation, curiosity got the better of him of him.

_Hello Alexander, I'm guessing I'm the last person you want to hear from right now but please believe me, none of this was my idea and I am so sorry. Magnus._

Alec dropped the phone onto the bed in shock, wondering at first how Magnus could possibly have got his number, before realising that must have been what Izzy was trying to tell him.

Chewing his lip, he read the message again, not sure how to react. Was it possible that Magnus was being manipulated as much as him? It made sense, he supposed. What other reason could he have had to agree to this ridiculous plan in the first place?

He stared at the screen for what felt like hours, but was in reality probably only a few minutes, before taking a deep breath and making a decision.

_It’s fine. I'm sorry too._

Alec pressed send before he had chance to second guess himself. Within seconds a response came pinging back.

_I understand if you don't want to but I thought maybe we should talk_.

Alec looked at the screen wide eyed. He supposed it made sense but the thought of talking to Magnus again was as terrifying as it was tempting. He fiddled with the phone anxiously. No, Magnus was right, they did need to talk, ideally before being thrown together in front of the cameras.

_I know_.

Alec paused for a second not sure how to continue and reaching for his food took a mouthful, chewing thoughtfully, not really tasting what he was eating.

_So, when and where?_

He added before sending. He didn't have to wait long for a reply.

_I'm free now if that works, but if it’s too soon or not convenient for you, I understand._

Alec couldn't help but smile a little when he saw the reply. He’d always thought Magnus was supremely confident, but there was no mistaking the vulnerability in the reply. Or was that just wishful thinking? Either way he couldn't help feeling it was something he needed to get over with.

_Sure. Give me an hour. Where do you want to meet?_

_I know a place. My friend's the owner, so it should be quieter._

_Ok_

………….

Alec grabbed his leather jacket and a baseball cap, feeling surprisingly calm despite it all. Somehow, all those years of training to not let the competition get into his head was coming into play. The irony, that for as long as he could remember Maryse had drummed into him to focus on what he was doing and ignore anything that anyone said, was now the one thing that was keeping him going through a situation she herself had created, wasn't lost on him.

He’d eaten his food automatically and then jumped in the shower, having a brief moment of worry about what to wear afterwards, deciding on jeans and a bottle green sweater that Izzy had bought him one Christmas before getting ready to head out.

As he stepped out of his room he practically crashed into Jace who had his hand raised to knock the door.

“You going out?” Jace looked at him, frowning slightly.

“Yeah.” Determined to avoid a prolonged conversation at all costs, Alec reverted to monosyllabic replies.

“Oh, ok. Izzy said you were upset and I thought..look buddy, if you need to talk.” Jace reached out a hand before reconsidering and shoving it in his pocket instead.

“Thanks.” Alec deadpanned before turning to leave.

“Alec..” For once Jace was serious and it crossed his mind just how worried his siblings must be. Shaking his head roughly he focused his mind, he had fifteen minutes to get to the bar Magnus had suggested and he really hated being late. Quite frankly, their concerns would have to wait for now.

“Not now.” Alec turned his head to look over his shoulder and saw Jace nod in understanding.

“Sure, whenever you're ready.” Jace shoved his other hand in his pocket and shrugged.

“Yeah..” With that, Alec turned and stalked towards the back entrance of the Institute, trying to slip out as unobtrusively as possible.

……….

The Hunter’s Moon was surprisingly busy for early evening midweek and Magnus began to worry if he’d made a mistake by choosing it as a meeting place. He was still scanning for a quiet spot, nervously playing at his rings when Maia appeared.

“Magnus, hey.” She grinned as she greeted him with a kiss on both cheeks. “You look worried.”

Maia stood back a little and surveyed him critically.

“I'm good, darling. I just didn't expect it to be quite so busy in here.” He murmured, taking in the people laughing around the pool table.

“Should I be offended by that?” Maia stood with her hands on her hips pouting slightly, before breaking into a cheeky grin.

“Not at all. I should have known anything you took on would be a roaring success, my dear.” Magnus reassured with a wink.

Maia was yet another of Luke and Jocelyn’s success stories, kicked out by her family at sixteen, the pair had taken her under their wing. Since then she had carved out a remarkable career, first with her catering firm and six months ago picking up a run down bar and turning it into well, this.

“Hey don't worry, from what you said on the phone I guessed you’d need somewhere quiet. I got you.” Maia linked an arm through his and lead him to a dark corner of the bar area where a burly looking bald man was already sitting.

“Ok Russell, time to move..” Maia looked at the man sternly.

“Ah c’mon Maia.” Russell pleaded, but seeing the no nonsense look on her face, soon got to his feet and grabbed his beer, grumbling under his breath.

“Drink on the house to make it up to you.” Maia winked and the man’s mood seemed to lift instantly. Turning slightly, Maia indicated to the barman as Russell rushed towards him.

“Nicely done.” Whilst Maia looked petite, Magnus couldn't help but feel that only an idiot would want to mess with her.

“You know how it is.” She shrugged. “You ok here?”

“It’s perfect, thank you, it’s just…” Magnus looked around, suddenly concerned that Alec wouldn't spot him so hidden away.

“Dont worry, when he arrives I’ll point him in the right direction.” Maia reassured him.

“You know what he looks like, right..?” It dawned on Magnus that for some reason he was feeling really anxious, which was totally out of character for him. Probably best not to examine those feelings too closely he decided as he focused in on what Maia was saying.

“Tall, brooding and insanely hot...yep, I think I can spot him..” Magnus stifled a laugh at the accuracy of his friend’s description. “Now can I get you a drink?”

Magnus began to relax a little as Maia bustled off to sort his drinks order out and leant back against the leather backrest of the booth he was sitting in. He’d arrived early, not wanting Alec to turn up and not be there, and now all he could do was wait and hope that Alec hadn’t changed his mind.

A few minutes later one of the bar staff, a pretty girl called Kaelie, arrived with his drink and he was glad of the distraction.

Right on time the bell over the bar door rung out indicating the arrival of Alec, shoulders hunched, baseball cap pulled firmly down, shielding his eyes. Just as Magnus was about to go up and greet him, he saw Maia talk to him and point him in the right direction.

“Hello Alexander, I'm glad you could make it. I take it you found here OK?” Magnus smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring way despite the way his heart was racing as Alec slid into the booth next him.

“Yeah, my brother Jace comes here, so…” Alec replied. Despite his face being somewhat shielded, there was no mistaking the slight blush crawling up his neck.

“Oh Ok, well that worked out beautifully, didn't it? Makes it sort of neutral territory, don't you think?” Magnus breath caught in his throat as Alec glanced up and smiled lopsidedly at him.

Dammit, this was going to be way harder than he thought if Alec was going to be this adorable all the time, Magnus thought distractedly.

“Drinks, yes, that’s what we need. I hope you don't mind, I started without you but what would you like, a beer perhaps?” Magnus was wittering on but for the life of him he couldn't seem to stop.

“Nah, just a coke.” Alec took off his baseball cap and ran his fingers through his hair. “Training, you know..”

“Of course, how silly of me.” Magnus slipped out of the booth and headed to the bar, returning swiftly with Alec’s drink.

Pausing for a second, he took in the sight of Alec nervously picking at the peak of his cap. Taking a deep breath he went to sit down, a smile plastered to his face.

“There you go, ice and lemon. I hope that’s ok..” Alec looked up and nodded.

“Yeah, no that’s good..” Alec placed his palms flat on the table before looking up at Magnus. “I am so sorry about all this you know...it...well it wasn't my idea..I just wanted you to know that..”

“Alexander, it's fine. I guessed as much.” Magnus had to fight every instinct he had to stop himself just reaching out and grabbing Alec’s hand. “If it’s any consolation I was only told when everything was already arranged, so we’re in the same boat here..”

Alec looked up again, blushing as he smiled and Magnus had to clear his throat before continuing, his mouth suddenly feeling very dry.

“Yes, well anyway, it seems as though we’re stuck with situation, I mean not that I mind too much.” Alec raised an eyebrow and Magnus ran a finger nervously over his ear cuff, worried he’d given himself away. Deciding to just brush off his last comment ,he pressed on. “I just think we should, oh I don't know, create a united front here.”

“Okay..” Alec played with his glass a little, brows furrowed slightly. “That makes sense. I just don't know…”

“Well, for a start I thought maybe we could get to know each other a bit.”

“You mean, like friends.” As Alec glanced up through his eyelashes, Magnus became quite convinced those doe eyes would be the death of him.

“Yes, exactly that. If that’s ok with you..” Alec didn't have a chance to answer before Maia came rushing over looking surprisingly angry.

“Magnus, I'm sorry. It seems Kaelie tipped off twitter, something about getting her own back on someone called Jace..” Alec rolled his eyes at Maia's words.

“My brother..” He muttered.

“Ah.. _that_ Jace, yeah that makes a lot of sense...no offence, your brother is a bit of a fuckboy.” Maia frowned.

“Yeah that’s putting it mildly..” Alec grumbled.

“Look, why don't you guys slip out the back door. You can borrow my car if you like, but Magnus if you crash it, so help me…” Maia couldn't resist one little dig as she ushered the pair towards the staff exit and threw some keys at Magnus.

“I owe you one, darling.” Magnus murmured.

“Yeah I know, I'm adding it to the list.” Maia winked as she turned to leave them to it.

“She seem nice…” Alec observed as they ducked out into the car park, making Magnus chuckle.

“She really is but don't be fooled, that woman is one tough cookie.” Magnus winked.

“I’ll remember that.” Magnus had the feeling that Alec was beginning to relax and it made his heart flutter more than a little.

“Is it always like this..?” Alec indicated over his shoulder.

“Oh darling, I think we can both agree these are exceptional circumstances.”

“True.” Alec laughed and Magnus tried to ignore how much he adored the sound of it. “So what now?”

“My loft isn't far...I mean, if that’s ok with you…” Ok there it was, the nerves were back again and Magnus had to concentrate on opening the car door so Alec couldn't see him biting his lip.

“Yeah...that’s...let’s do that.” Alec opened the car door and slid into the passenger side.

“You sure?” Magnus asked as he joined him in the car.

“Yeah. I trust you, don't know why, I just do.” Alec stared straight ahead and Magnus was grateful because if he'd looked at him he would've seen how much his words had affected him.

“Ok, good. Well buckle up Alexander, let’s go..”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I couldn't resist getting our boys together now could I?
> 
> Hope you enjoyed at that...as ever you are all amazing and all your support means the absolute world to me.
> 
> Feel free to shout at me either here or on tumblr @the-burning-tiger 
> 
> And huge love the the wonderful LadyMatt who is ever amazingly awesome.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus and Alec have a chat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so sorry guys...this chapter is about 90% Malec which I'm sure you'll hate right ;-)
> 
> Seriously though I hope you enjoy it ...and as always you're all amazing, lovely and wonderful xox
> 
> Betad by the wonderful @ladymatt...why not go give her some love on tumblr 'cos she's lovely xox

The ride to Magnus’ loft was mercifully short, whilst simultaneously long enough for Alec to mull over what he just blurted out to Magnus. Jace and Izzy had always teased him about his lack of brain to mouth filter and being around Magnus seemed to amplify that trait in a somewhat scary way.

He’d really spoken without thinking but there was no doubt in his mind that it was true. He _did_ trust Magnus and he really wasn't sure exactly why. When he’d heard of the plans that had been made for the pair of them he’d felt instinctively that Magnus had not been involved in the decision making process, a feeling that had been confirmed by the man himself.

Granted, he’d watched every episode of ‘The High Warlock of Brooklyn’ but he had this niggling feeling that his innate trust of Magnus somehow ran inexplicably deeper than that, as if it was based on instinct, not just because he was a fan of his work.

The car drawing to halt in an underground parking lot broke Alec out of his thoughts and he realised he hadn't said a word the entire journey which should’ve felt awkward but actually just felt strangely comfortable.

“Well, here we are.” Magnus looked across at him as he unclipped his seatbelt. “You’re sure about this?”

“Yeah I'm good, and y’know, better this than in public.” Alec murmured as he got out of the car.

“Well then, shall we?” Magnus waved an arm towards the elevator. “I’d better just text Maia and tell her car is intact, after all, I value my life.”

Alec felt himself smile again, something that he seemed to be doing a lot around Magnus.

The ride to Magnus’ loft was surprisingly quick considering he owned the penthouse suite. If he was honest, Alec was strangely excited to see what Magnus’ home looked like and as the ornate black door opened he wasn't disappointed.

“Welcome to Casa Bane.” Magnus waved flamboyantly as Alec took in the space in front of him. The bare wood floors were covered with beautiful rugs in multicoloured hues and large ebony bookcases stood proudly against the wall, which Alec felt instantly drawn to. The walls were covered with artwork and there was even the occasional pillar topped with intriguing sculptures. All in all the impression was eclectic, vibrant and above all else warm, even down to the floor-to-ceiling tulle curtains in various autumnal shades to match the sofas.

“Not as impressive as the Institute I'm afraid but it’s home.” Magnus shrugged.

“It’s amazing. I mean the training room is impressive but trust me my room is nothing like this..” There it was again, Alec just blurting out the first thing that came into his head.

“You can look at the books if you like. I have to say, I'm rather proud of my collection.” Alec looked at Magnus somewhat surprised, clearly he had caught the longing expression on his face. “It’s ok Alexander, just make yourself at home.”

“Umm thanks..” Alec rubbed his neck nervously before taking him up on his offer.

“I take it you’re a reader..”

“Yeah well, there’s a lot of downtime during contests so…” Glancing over the spines in front of him, Alec came across lots of his favourites and a large proportion looked very old, possibly even first editions.

“So let me guess, you’re a classics sort of man.” Alec glanced over his shoulder and caught Magnus raising an eyebrow, an unreadable expression on his face.

“I suppose so. To be honest, I’ll read pretty much anything..” Turning back he couldn't resist reaching forwards, a little tempted to run his fingers over the books but hesitating, not wanting to take advantage of Magnus’ hospitality.

“If there’s anything you want to borrow be my guest, although I give you fair warning, if you’re a corner folder we may fall out irrevocably.”

“Can't believe people do that..” Alec shuddered and heard Magnus’ musical laugh behind him.

“Well Alexander, it seems that’s the first thing we have in common.” Catching Magnus’ smile out of the corner of his eye, Alec felt himself blush yet again. “Let me make some tea and then maybe we can have a chat.”

“That sounds good…” The thing was, it really did. Being in Magnus’ home made him feel strangely at ease.

“I pride myself on my collection of tea, it’s somewhat of an obsession of mine. Would you like to choose or shall I pick for you?” Magnus had paused on his way to what Alec presumed was the kitchen.

“You pick.”

“Hmm..” Magnus put a finger to his lips and surveyed Alec carefully. “Chamomile and apple I think…”

“Okay.” Not wanting to admit that he really had no idea what Chamomile tasted like, Alec just decided to go with the flow for once.

“Okay then.” Magnus winked and bustled off, thankfully quickly enough to miss Alec’s near constant blush return with a vengeance.

Finding himself alone in the cavernous space, Alec began to wander around, the sounds of Magnus humming gently to himself as he pottered around in the kitchen, soothing his nerves.

On one side of the room there were large glass doors which seemed to open up onto a roof terrace and Alec was mesmerised by the glitter of the early evening Brooklyn lights.

“Beautiful, isn't it?” Alec jumped a little as Magnus spoke behind him, he’d been so absorbed by the view that he hadn't heard him approach. “I have to confess it was a rather large selling point for this place. Seeing as it’s a nice night, shall we sit out ?”

“Sounds good.” Alec found himself smiling again, there was something about being around Magnus that left him with a warm feeling inside, a feeling as disconcerting as it was comforting.

“I will need you to open the door though..” Magnus nodded down to the silver tray he was carrying.

“Yeah ok..” Alec was grateful for the chance to concentrate on something else as he fumbled with the key in the door.

The roof terrace was every bit as lovely as the brief glimpse through the door had suggested. Tall trees in pots decorated the space and Magnus had put fairy lights all over one wall. Over to one side was a wrought iron table and two benches and that was where Magnus headed over to, placing the tray carefully on the table.

“So your sister says you're a fan of the show.” Magnus said conversationally once they'd settled down.

“Oh...oh yes but not…” Alec felt suddenly flustered again, not wanting Magnus to think that he was some sort of obsessed fan.

“It’s okay Alexander, as it goes I would count myself as somewhat a fan of you myself. You don't spend your formative years in the same house as Luke and Jocelyn and not have a rather unhealthy obsession with gymnastics.” Again Magnus managed to calm his nerves and it took a few seconds for Alec to process his words.

“Oh okay, but I mean Izzy and Jace are the real stars of the family. It’s sweet of you to say but…” There was no way Magnus was being anything other than charitable with his words, everyone knew that his siblings were the ones that everyone wanted to watch.

“You don't see it, do you?” Magnus tilted his head to the side and watched him closely.

“I..” Nervously Alec ran his fingers around the neck of his jumper.

“Ok let me put it plainly. How tall are you Alec, 6 foot 1, 2?”

“6 foot 3 but…” Alec scrunched up his brow in confusion.

“Exactly, and I'm guessing that you are substantially taller than your competition. The height you are, it’s incredible the things you can do and I can't help but think how much harder you must’ve had to work than the others to get to where you are.” Magnus paused looking at him as Alec fought to hide his flushed complexion again. “Your siblings are showmen, trust me, as one myself I recognise the type, but you, you're something else and honestly, watching you on the high bar, well…”

Magnus looked down for a second but not before Alec could've sworn he saw something flicker across his eyes. In the blink of an eye it was gone, replaced by his normal confident facade.

“I was so frustrated I didn't get to see you training when I visited the Institute, although I have to say, watching the delightful Isabelle was an experience I won't forget for a while.”

“I think she’d say the same. I mean that last trick…” Alec calmed down a little, glad that the attention had turned away from him.

“Yes I was rather proud of that one myself. So are you going to try and persuade me to tell you how it was done?” Magnus laughed.

“No.” Alec’s reply was rather blunt and Magnus raised an eyebrow. “I mean that's more Jace’s thing. I guess I think it just kinda spoils things, if that makes sense…”

Alec grabbed his cup and drank some of the tea in an attempt to find something to do with his hands that didn't involve fidgeting.

“You are full of surprises, Alexander. You have no idea how refreshing it is to find someone who thinks like that.” Looking up through his lashes he caught Magnus smiling at him again and when their eyes met he couldn't seem to look away. Fortunately, Magnus spoke again.

“So I take it you are somewhat of a magic fan then?” There seemed to be a slight waver to his voice to start with but as he lounged back in his seat Alec realised it must've been his imagination.

“I am yes but your show..” Alec took a deep breath, not sure how to continue before the words came blurting out. “It's like some magicians, they're all about how clever they're being, you know, and I'm not so fond of that.”

Magnus had rested his chin on his hand and was watching him with a puzzled expression on his face.

“It's not that they're not impressive it's just...sorry I'm not making much sense here..” Alec mumbled, unsure how to put his thoughts into words.

“See now I'm genuinely intrigued. I’d like to know what you think.” Magnus had leant forward a little, focusing all his attention on Alec.

“Ok so, when I watch your show I guess what I like about it is the way you make people feel, you know, that sense of wonder. It’s something you kinda lose as you grow up and I think, well it feels like that’s what you’re trying to do, you know..” Alec put his cup down as the words continued to flow and he found himself gesturing with his hands as well. “I mean you don't stay to see people’s reactions, it's like you don't want to accept their praise, that you just leave them to their moment and I...I’m over analyzing, aren't I?”

Magnus looked taken aback and Alec licked his lips nervously. He’d said too much, god he must think he was some sort of idiot.

“Do you know Alexander, I think that’s the nicest thing someone has said about my show for sometime.” Magnus looked serious for a second. “Can I tell you a story..?”

Alec nodded, afraid to say anything else.

“When I started the show the studio wanted something else entirely, I think they wanted some big illusionist type affair and Ragnor and I had to fight hard to keep things the way they are. The world can be a depressing place and, for me, magic has always been somewhat of an escape and I suppose I wanted to share that with people, ordinary everyday people and for you to see that, well, it means a lot…” Magnus leant back again and fiddled with his ear cuff a little, as Alec gave a shy smile, before clearing his throat. “Now enough about me, tell me some more about Alexander Lightwood.”

…………..

Magnus knew he was in trouble pretty much from the moment Alec had walked into The Hunter’s Moon but sitting on the roof terrace talking to Alec just confirmed it. He wasn't sure exactly what he’d expected but Alexander Lightwood was certainly more lovely than he’d been planning for.

He was mesmerised by the way his brow furrowed in concentration when he spoke and how his hands accentuated every point when he talked about Magnus' show. It felt like Alec really ‘got’ him in a way no one had for a long time, if at all, but surely it had to be wishful thinking.

Not that it really mattered in the grand scheme of things. Everything he’d told his friends and family was still just as true, he and Alexander came from different worlds and he couldn't see a way those two worlds could work together. No, rather than getting any ridiculous ideas, he was determined to stick to his plan. Perhaps he and Alec could be friends but anything more, well that just wasn't possible.

Magnus had masterfully steered the conversation back to safer ground and finally Alec had seemed to relax. After the initial awkwardness they’d spent the last few hours chatting about everything and nothing. Wait, hours, when did that happen?

Alec seemed to realise the same thing at that moment, a look of shock on his face after glancing at his watch.

“God I'm sorry Magnus, I didn't realise it was so late..I should get back to the Institute.” Alec grabbed his leather jacket that he’d discarded earlier from the seat beside him and Magnus tried to not watch the muscles flexing under his fitted jumper as he did.

“Of course Alexander, I'm sure you sportsmen type are up with the birds with all that training..” Magnus was determined to hide the disappointment in his voice as he walked Alec to the door.

“Yeah..but I had fun tonight, so thanks..”

“As have I, so thank _you_.” Alec broke into that lovely lopsided smile that just made Magnus’ insides melt. “Do you need me to get you a cab?”

“Thanks but I'm good, the Institute’s not far and it’s a nice night…” Alec shrugged before stepping through the doorway, pausing at the last minute to turn back. “I was thinking, if you wanted you could maybe drop by sometime and watch training. I mean, if you’d like.”

Alec chewed nervously on his lip awaiting Magnus’ reply.

“I would love that Alexander, although ideally not when your mother is around. No offence but that woman is terrifying..”

Alec guffawed loudly and Magnus couldn't help but beam proudly at his reaction.

“Yeah you could say that. I’ll text you when the coast is clear.” Alec grinned back.

“That sounds like an excellent plan. Just do me a favour, text me when you get back. It'd be good to know you got home safe.” Magnus could have slapped himself for adding the last bit on but luckily Alec seemed oblivious.

“Yeah sure.” Alec smiled and left, leaving the loft feeling suddenly very empty.

God he needed a drink.

……….

Alec had practically jogged back to the Institute, deciding that perhaps walking back had been a bad idea when he thought he saw someone taking photos of him leaving Magnus’.

Realistically he was probably being paranoid, this was New York and the streets were always filled with tourists whatever the time of day. Nonetheless it was still disconcerting and Alec sped up his steps as a result.

The rest of the journey home was largely uneventful and by the time he got back he’d convinced himself it’d been his imagination, not that it really mattered he thought, after all weren't they supposed to be dating? That was what his mother seemed to want everyone to think at least.

By the time he sneaked back in the Institute was quiet, which was hardly surprising considering it was gone midnight. The evening had flown by and Alec had been shocked at how easy it’d been talking to Magnus, none of the uncomfortable silences he was so used to.

More importantly, they'd managed to talk about the situation they'd found themselves in and Magnus had listened patiently when Alec related the morning’s meeting. Alec hadn't realised how relieved he'd feel by just talking it through and it’d felt like Magnus was the only one who could truly understand. He knew that if he spoke to his family they'd get angry and protective of him, and quite frankly, he dreaded Izzy taking it upon herself to lay into their mother.

Magnus was different. When Alec had finished speaking he'd looked pensive at first before breaking out into a wicked grin and suggesting maybe it was time they just did things their way rather than follow everyone else’s rules.

Alec felt lighter than he had all day and somehow he felt sure that knowing he and Magnus had each other's backs made him feel like they could make it through the madness surrounding them.

Smiling to himself, he reached in his pocket and grabbing his phone switched it back on, firing a quick text off to Magnus telling him he was home safe and sound. Before he had chance to put his phone back a flurry of notifications pinged through, missed calls from Izzy and Jace and multiple text messages. Clearly his siblings were worried but reasoning that it was late he decided to postpone dealing with them until tomorrow, for now he needed some rest after the emotional rollercoaster his day had been.

Quietly he walked back to his room and just as he was about to open the door, a response came through from Magnus.

_Glad you got back Ok. Thank you for tonight, it was a pleasure getting to know you :-)_

Alec was still grinning as he opened the door but that soon changed as he realised his dream of a quiet night was well and truly scuppered. Izzy was fast asleep on his bed and Jace was playing with his phone on a chair by the window.

“Jeez Alec, where the hell have you been?” Jace grumbled and Alec sighed as he took his jacket off.

The noise seemed to wake up Izzy who stared at him blearily before sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

“Alec? Oh thank the angel, we were so worried.” Izzy mumbled sleepily.

“Clearly. Well as you can see, I'm fine, I'm just really tired so..” Alec nodded towards the door.

“Not a chance.” Alec groaned as Jace stood and folded his arms. “You may not give a damn but we’ve been worried, you've been out for hours and you switched your frigging phone off.”

“Oh, so it’s fine when you guys do that but when I do….” Alec glared back at his brother.

“Guys, look let's all calm down. It’s just not like you Alec, please we only want to help. Don’t shut us out..” Izzy pleaded, trying to diffuse the tension.

Alec sat down on the edge of the bed, head in his hands, all traces of his good mood gone.

“Please, just tell us what’s going on. Seriously Alec, I’ve even had Magnus on the phone and Twitter’s just gone weird, everyone’s convinced you two are an item and no one’s even tried to deny it yet…” Izzy shuffled over and put a hand on Alec’s shoulder.

“They won't…” Alec mumbled into his hands.

“What?” Jace moved to his other side and sat down next to him, brow scrunched in confusion.

“You heard.” Alec sat up and looked at his siblings before taking a deep breath. There was no choice really but to blurt the whole sorry tale out, and to be fair it was probably better to just get everything out in the open.

By the time he’d finished talking Izzy was pacing angrily across the room and Jace’s hands had curled into fists.

“They can't do this.” Jace spat out.

“Apparently they can.” Alec shrugged, his siblings were reacting exactly as he’d expected.

“Ok well we need a plan. Look I can give you Magnus’ number, I mean when he spoke to me earlier he seemed keen to talk to you.” Jace huffed indignantly as Izzy spoke, making her glance across at him angrily. “What?”

“Well I'm just saying how do we know this wasn't his idea..?” Jace replied.

“Jace you didn't hear him on the phone, trust me I reckon he was in the dark about this as much as Alec.” Izzy folded her arms and stared at Jace before “I'm serious Alec, you need to call him.”

“Umm well…” Alec suddenly felt uncomfortable, for some reason he really didn't want to go into his evening in depth just yet, not until he’d had time to process everything that had happened.

“She’s right buddy. You guys need to talk.” Jace agreed and Izzy smiled with satisfaction.

Alec shuffled restlessly.

“Unless you already have...Alec, have you…?” Izzy looked at him through narrowed eyes.

“Ok yes, yes I have and look, he didn't know anything either…” Alec groaned, hoping that would be the end of the conversation.

“Oh my god, that’s where you went, you met Magnus.” Izzy squealed. “You have to tell me everything.”

Izzy’s mood seemed to switch from angry to excited in a heartbeat and Alec was struggling to keep up.

“Yeah Ok, we met up, we talked. It's all good, well as much as it could be..there’s not much else to say..” Alec mumbled, feeling himself blush again.

“That’s good, no that’s great. I'm proud of you, bud..” Jace shoulder bumped him. “Wait, hang on, you left hours ago...where'd you meet up, Antarctica?”

“Jace, c’mon. Izzy calm down will you, we just met for a drink at the Hunter’s Moon and talked things through.”

“Good choice, I love that bar…” Jace grinned.

“Yeah, well if I were you I’d avoid going there for a bit, Kaelie’s not happy with you at all…” It gave Alec some degree of satisfaction to turn the attention back to his brother.

“Oh shit! Kaelie! Dammit I meant to call her..” Jace looked horror struck.

“I wish you had too. Apparently she’s so pissed at you she told Twitter Magnus and I were there.” Alec frowned at Jace who just shrugged sheepishly.

“Oh god, Alec are you Ok..?” Izzy looked worried.

“Yeah, no I'm good. Maia tipped us off and we went to Magnus’ loft instead..” It was only when the words were out of his mouth that he realised he’d made a mistake, judging by the expressions on his siblings’ faces.

“So let me get this straight, you’ve just spent several hours alone with Magnus Bane. Nice one, bro..” Jace leered as Alec rolled his eyes.

“For fuck’s sake Jace, not like that. Magnus made tea and we talked, that’s all.” Alec shook his head.

“If you say so…” Jace grinned.

“Lay off, Jace.” Izzy glared.

“Just sayin’...” Jace smirked, shrugging his shoulders.

“Well I'm sorry to disappoint but that's it. Look, we’ve sorted some things out and quite frankly I'm knackered. I've spent the whole night talking things through, and honestly, I'm done..” Alec replied sternly. Granted, it wasn't exactly what had happened, yes they had talked about their situation but they’d also talked about so much more. Alec fought down a smile at the memory of spending time at Magnus’ place. “So do me a favour and just leave it for now, ok…”

Jace and Izzy exchanged a glance.

“Yeah ok. Look Alec, just know we’ve got your back…” Izzy smiled as she grabbed Jace's arm, pulling him to the door.

“You know it, buddy…” Jace winked.

“Thanks guys.” Alec replied, finally allowing himself the biggest smile as the door closed behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's a start right?
> 
> I hope that was ok..
> 
> If the season finale doesn't kill me I'll update next week...see you guys on the other side xox


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone prepares for the awards show and Alec starts to realise how much attention is on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So another chapter...hope you enjoy x
> 
> Again thank you so very much for your support...honestly you're all awesome x

The next week and a half flew by in a flurry of activity but despite their hectic schedules somehow he and Magnus had fallen into a pattern of texting each other throughout the day.

It started the day after they’d met up, Magnus had texted him after a very apologetic Ragnor had turned up at the loft. Alec couldn't help smiling as he opened the message to see a picture of a very expensive looking bottle of vintage scotch with the message _I think someone is feeling very guilty_.

The ensuing text exchange had left Alec feeling lighter and happier than he had in some time as Magnus informed him that yes he had forgiven Ragnor but that he wasn't ready to let him off the hook just yet. He’d laughed out loud when Magnus had said he thought he could milk Ragnor’s guilt for a little while longer and asked if there was anything he wanted. It felt like they were a team.

Of course it was at that point that Jace had caught up with him and he’d shoved his phone back in his pocket, hastily denying to his brother that anything was going on and receiving a sceptical look in response.

As the days slipped by it became increasingly clear that they probably wouldn't be able to meet up until the Teen Choice Awards, both of their schedules being ridiculously hectic what with Alec’s training regime and Magnus’ promo work. Alec tried to ignore the disappointment he felt but he couldn't deny that he was looking forward to seeing Magnus again.

Every day there was a new text though, sometimes just checking in, sometimes pictures of what Magnus was up to. When the team from Ralph Lauren turned up to measure him for his suit for the awards show he put up with all the prodding and poking patiently, texting Magnus to complain throughout, who had replied that it was supposed to be fun and had insisted that he have a picture of the suit.

Alec had felt a bit foolish asking the woman measuring to take a picture, and more than a little nervous sending it to Magnus. He shouldn't have worried, Magnus had commented on how fine he looked in a suit and pointed out that now they could coordinate.

It was only while getting off the plane at LAX that the enormity of the situation hit him. Alec was used to flying under the radar, and judging by the crowd of photographers decamped in arrivals, that really wasn't an option anymore.

Any hope that perhaps they were there for someone else was soon scotched in a hail of questions. Where was Magnus? Would he care to comment on their relationship? What was Twitter fame like? The voices seemed to be coming from everywhere, and quite frankly, it was making his head spin. It hadn’t even been like this when he’d come out, back then no one seemed to care about Alec Lightwood, they'd been more interested in what his siblings were up to.

Jace and Isabelle, clearly more used to dealing with the media attention than he was, did sterling work ushering him out to the waiting car and deflecting all questions.

Sitting back on the leather seats, hidden by darkly tinted windows, his thoughts started racing and he genuinely wasn't sure he could do this. It’d seemed so simple when he and Magnus were messaging back and forth, but now he’d not only have to deal with seeing him face to face but also whilst under the scrutiny of everyone around them apparently.

“You got this buddy..” Jace winked at him, as usual picking up on his mood almost instinctively.

“Yeah…” Alec rubbed at his neck nervously trying to iron out the kinks after such a long flight.

“Hey, it gets better from here. I mean Magnus’ll help so..” Izzy tried to reassure him.

“I guess…” If I don't make an idiot of myself in front of him again, he added to himself.

Alec zoned out for the rest of the journey to the hotel as his siblings chatted happily. Magnus had been in LA for a couple of days doing some last minute filming, so he was due to meet them there having checked with Alec where they were staying. Convincing himself that the reason his stomach felt filled with butterflies was because of nerves not because he was excited to see Magnus again Alec settled down for the rest of the drive.

…………

“You have got to be kidding me..” Alec muttered as they finally made it to their rooms.

“Ah c’mon Alec, it’s not that bad..” Jace pouted as they looked around.

With Jace and Isabelle as nominees, the rooms had been thankfully booked ages ago and he’d foolishly thought that it would be simple just to add him. Clearly he’d been wrong.

“I don't mind getting cosy..” Jace grinned as Alec glared at the ornate double bed that appeared to dominate the room they were supposed to be sharing, as if by force of will it would magically turn into the twin beds they’d been promised.

“I swear Jace, if you get drunk tonight and thrash about like you normally do…” Alec grumbled.

“Good afternoon, Lightwoods..” A voice from the doorway made Alec freeze, not noticing if Jace had even replied.

Turning around he saw Magnus leaning against the doorframe looking radiant and smiling from ear to ear. There were hours to go yet before the show and Magnus was still casually dressed, but his maroon top was so tight it seemed to show off every muscle and the black trousers with suspenders hanging down didn't help one bit.

“Magnus..” Izzy flung herself forward hugging him tightly and Alec was grateful for the time it gave him to regain his composure. “Didn't expect to see you here for a while..”

“Oh didn't I mention I'm staying here too...hmm it was quite last minute..” Magnus winked at Alec and instantly he felt more relaxed.

“Let me guess, still guilt tripping Ragnor..” Alec smiled.

“Absolutely. I have to say it worked out rather well this time. Who knew that changing hotel at the last minute would mean the only room available would be the presidential suite, but as I said to Ragnor, it would be rather suspicious if I wasn't staying in the same hotel as my ‘boyfriend’ and so here I am.” Magnus used his finger to air quote boyfriend and Alec had to stifle a laugh.

“See that’s not fair, how come I got lumbered with sharing with tall and grumpy.” Jace grumbled, before Izzy elbowed him in his side.

“So when I heard you’d arrived I thought it only fair to invite you all to join me for drinks. Seriously, the view is amazing and most importantly, the studio is paying for everything…” Magnus had clearly opted to ignore Jace’s comment for now and Alec couldn't help but find the affronted look on his brother’s face amusing.

“ _That_ sounds like an excellent plan…” Izzy beamed and linked arms with Magnus “Shall we?”

“We shall indeed.” Magnus grinned back.

…………

Magnus’ room, no suite, was, to put it mildly, impressive. Not only was it on the top floor affording a fabulous view of the LA skyline and, Alec was pretty sure, a glimpse of the sea, but there was a huge living area with sofas comfortable enough to sleep on. There was even a small balcony with a table and chairs which reminded him of a mini version of the loft.

The last few hours had certainly relaxed him from the journey and it was strange how the frantic scene at the arrivals hall now seemed like a distant memory thanks to Magnus’ calming presence.

A knock on the door interrupted Magnus’ latest story about his adventures and he huffed in mock indignation as got up to answer.

“Well it seems that story will have to wait for another day..” He grumbled as he opened the door to find Lily Chen, his make up artist stood there with what looked like a rather large tool box. “Lily darling, here already. Surely it doesn't take that long to make me look fabulous..”

Leaning forward Magnus grabbed the box before kissing Lily on both cheeks, the stern expression on her face softening a little.

“Well it would've been easier if I hadn't had to travel across town..” She grumbled in response.

“When have I ever made life easy for you, my dear..” Magnus grinned as Alec watched Lily roll her eyes affectionately and wondered if anyone was immune to Magnus’ charm.

“True.” Lily shook her head slightly before noticing everyone else in the room and waving.

“Well I guess that’s our cue to leave, time to get ready. Unlike some people, some of us have to do our own make up.” Izzy teased as she stood up and Magnus shrugged in response. “Good to see you Lily, we’re still on for that shopping trip next week?”

“Of course.” Lily walked up and greeted his sister and Alec smiled proudly at how Izzy had seemingly made yet another friend. “Tell you what, I've probably got time to give you a hand if you like.”

“Really? That would be awesome. You’re sure you haven't got your hands full with this one..” Izzy nodded her head towards Magnus, a cheeky grin on her face.

“Well it is a lot of work…” Lily began..

“Rude..” Magnus pouted.

“But of course.” Lily continued ignoring Magnus’ dramatics.

“You are amazing.” Izzy hugged a slightly stunned looking Lily before rushing off. “Give me an hour..”

“I call dibs on the shower..” Jace declared before sprinting after Izzy. Alec groaned knowing how long his brother took with his hair care routine.

“Well I guess I should go too..” Alec got to his feet somewhat reluctantly.

“Don't mind me. I've got to set up anyway..” Lily smiled as she grabbed her case off Magnus and moved over to a table on the far side of room.

“I wouldn't argue with Lily if I were you..” Magnus teased, sitting back down on the sofa and patting the space next to him. Alec glanced over his shoulder to the door before deciding and sitting down.

Jace would take hours in the shower and he and Magnus hadn't really had a chance to talk yet, so it made sense to hang back a little.

“How are you doing, Alexander ?” Magnus looked at him seriously.

“Umm I'm fine..” Alec fiddled with the edge of his sweater as Magnus just raised a questioning eyebrow. “Ok fine, it's just, it’s a lot, you know….I didn't...well, I guess I didn't expect anyone to really care, you know…Is it always like this? For you, I mean?”

Magnus laughed softly.

“Honestly no, people do seem inordinately interested in this, don't they?” Magnus indicated between the pair of them.

“That’s putting it mildly.” Alec groaned.

“Well at least we can face it together now.” Magnus smiled reassuringly and Alec sighed with relief.

“Yeah, that sounds good. I’m sorry…” Alec began but Magnus silenced him by holding a finger up just in front of his lips.

“Alexander Lightwood, if you're going to apologise for something that is not even remotely your fault, I shall be very disappointed…” Magnus chuckled as Alec felt himself blush dramatically.

“Ok, point taken..” Smiling lopsidedly, Alec looked down at where his hands were clasped in his lap, trying to calm his racing heart. It was getting easier to simply be around Magnus but there was no denying that having him near affected him in a way no one had before.

……….

Alec stayed for another twenty minutes, watching in rapt attention as Lily settled Magnus down in a chair and began his make up. When he finally got up to leave Magnus felt a curious disappointment despite knowing that it was high time that he went and got ready.

“Don't forget to pop back here so we can head down together.” Magnus instructed him as he began to leave.

“I won't ..” Alec smiled shyly back.

“Good, and perhaps I can help tame that hair of yours, I swear it has a life of it’s own…” Magnus teased, and instantly regretted it, when he saw the somewhat hurt look on Alec’s face.

“Umm Ok..” Alec ran his fingers through his hair trying to straighten it.

“Honestly, that just got out of bed look is beyond attractive my dear, but I can't have you looking hotter than me now, can I?” Alec seemed to relax a little and Magnus felt like he could breathe again.

“I'll see you in a bit..” Alec laughed before leaving and Magnus’ eyes lingered on his retreating figure for far longer than was strictly necessary, a small smile playing on his lips.

“So, Alec Lightwood, eh?” Lily looked up from where she was painting Magnus’ fingernails on his left hand and wiggled her eyebrows.

“I have no idea what you mean.” Magnus muttered, picking up one of her make up brushes and twirling it through his fingers.

Placing his hand down on the table to dry, Lily snatched the brush from him, shaking her finger sternly.

“Of course you don't..” She muttered.

“Not you too..” Magnus groaned.

………

Jace was still wandering around the room, towel slung casually around his waist by the time Alec got back clearly having just got out of the shower.

“You took your time..” Jace leered as Alec closed the door behind him.

“Just as well, how exactly can you take that long in the shower? Actually no, I really don't want to know.” Alec replied. “And why exactly do you need that many hair products anyway?”

Alec looked pointedly at the array of lotions and potions spread haphazardly on the dresser.

“You can't skimp on perfection.” Jace shrugged.

“And there was me thinking it was all natural..” Alec teased glad to have changed the subject.

“Harsh buddy, very harsh..” Jace pouted briefly before breaking into a broad grin. “Anyway, good job I came back when I did ‘cos your suit got delivered.”

Jace waved to where a large clothes bag was hanging from the wardrobe with two boxes stacked neatly beside it.

“Shit I forgot about that..” Alec wandered over and almost hesitantly unzipped the bag.

Inside, the suit was pristine and even he, with his lack of knowledge, could see it was something special, it’s light grey fabric seeming to catch the light in a way that demanded attention without being overly flashy.

“Woah, seriously dude, I need to get me a Magnus.” Jace whistled.

“Shut up, Jace..” Alec grumbled, zipping up the bag and heading to the shower to clear his thoughts.

………

Magnus checked his reflection in the mirror, turning from side to side, making sure it was exactly perfect before a final adjustment to to his cufflinks. Hearing the door to the suite open, his pulse began to race.

Of course it was normal to be nervous, under the circumstances it would be strange being anything else. He was just worried about Alec that was all, nope nothing else at all. Fiddling with his ear cuff he glanced one final time in the mirror, trying to convince himself that the thought of seeing the normally casual Alexander Lightwood dressed to the nines had nothing to do with his racing heart.

Taking a deep breath, he forced his shoulders to relax before making his appearance in the lounge area.

Almost subconsciously his eyes were instantly drawn to Alec’s tall figure as he stood awkwardly by the doorway. If he’d had any expectations about how good Alec would look, even he had to admit the reality had smashed them completely.

Alexander Lightwood was a vision, his grey suit perfectly tailored and the tight back t-shirt underneath hugged every muscle in in a way that was almost obscene. Sensing Magnus’ gaze, Alec looked up and smiled, their eyes locking for more than a few seconds before he had to look away.

“So, will I do, darling?” Magnus twirled around, hoping that he appeared more casual than he felt.

So what if he was attracted to Alec, looking like he did at the moment you’d have to be dead not too. The fact that he looked like a literal angel changed nothing, if he’d learnt anything over the last few weeks it was that Alec was a genuinely sweet man and Magnus had no urge to make him feel uncomfortable. If that meant suppressing his almost visceral reaction to the man, then so be it.

As he turned to face Alec he could see that his mouth had dropped open slightly and watched entranced as Alec licked his lips. Ok, so this 'angel’ was literally trying to kill him.

“You look...amazing..” Alec gasped.

“As do you. You know Alexander, I think we’ll make quite the pair.” Magnus winked. He looked good, he knew he did. His three piece suit was custom-made and the same shade of grey as Alec’s but the fabric was shot through with silver thread that matched the piping which highlighted the collar making it sparkle as it caught the light.

“So you wanted me to sort out the hair, and well, should I shave? Jace said no but if you think..” Alec rubbed his jaw thoughtfully scratching at the stubble.

“Actually no darling, you look perfect and quite frankly, if you even try and get rid of that delightful scruff, I will simply have to make your razor disappear.” Alec smiled shyly which in no way had Magnus melting a little bit inside.

“Okay then..”

“Just one final touch.” Magnus waved a hand and a piece of fabric appeared in his hand, an exact match to the black and silver cravat he was wearing. Alec raised an eyebrow in amusement.

Magnus sashayed forward and folded the fabric, tucking it into Alec’s breast pocket. “Everyone needs a pocket square, my dear.”

“I'll take your word for it.” Alec glanced down at the fabric before looking up through his lashes at him.

“Well, I think we look fabulous..” Izzy announced as she looped her arms through her brother’s, effectively breaking the moment. Magnus had never been more grateful in his life.

“I certainly can't argue with that.” Magnus laughed as he stepped back, looking at the siblings together. Izzy was wearing a skin tight red dress with a zip up the front that showed off every curve.

“Hey, what about me..?” Jace grumbled from the sofa.

“Yes, you look good too, blondie.” Magnus replied without even looking across at him and Izzy stifled a laugh.

“Whatever. Well c’mon then, there’s booze and women who’ll actually appreciate all this waiting for me..” Jace jumped to his feet and headed towards the door as Alec shook his head affectionately.

……..

Emerging from the elevators into the back of the foyer, the first thing Alec saw was a man in a tweed suit checking his watch as he tutted and it didn't take much time to work out that it must be Ragnor.

“Excellent, you're all here.” Ragnor straightened the sleeves on his jacket and manfully ignored the stony gaze Magnus was throwing his direction. “So before we enter the fray I thought it best I fill you in on some details. Firstly, I’ve arranged, no, insisted that the four of you are sitting together, so I hope that allays some of Mr Lightwood’s apprehension.”

Ragnor glanced up at Magnus muttering something along the lines of ‘least you could do’ under his breath, and Alec stifled a laugh. Knowing that Magnus had already forgiven Ragnor somehow made his pretence of irritation more amusing.

“Furthermore, cars have been arranged for the four of you. The first car for Ms Lightwood and Mr Lightwood is waiting out the front and Magnus and the other Mr Lightwood will simultaneously depart in a secondary car around the back of the building.” Ragnor continued, his face an implacable facade.

“Cool, we’re the distraction Jace. I love being the distraction…” Izzy beamed, her enthusiasm lightening the mood somewhat.

“The cars will be waiting to bring you back following the after party, so please try to notice your driver. Any questions?” Ragnor glanced around the party and seemed to be content with the murmurs of agreement. “Excellent.”

Ragnor made a beeline towards Alec and reached out a hand.

“Mr Lightwood, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Ragnor Fell.” Alec hesitated for a moment before shaking his hand.

“If I may borrow you for a moment.” Alec glanced over his shoulder to see Magnus looking at them through narrowed eyes.

“Yes, Ok..” Alec scrunched his brows in confusion as Ragnor led them away from the group a little and tried to ignore the curious glances in their direction.

“Ahem..” Ragnor cleared his throat looking strangely anxious. “I realise of course this is probably not the best occasion for us to meet up.”

Alec nodded, not really knowing what to say.

“It has been brought to my attention that my behaviour towards you has not been, shall we say, the best. Please believe me when I say I had no idea that your mother was the driving force behind this enterprise. I say this not as an excuse you understand, and you have my most sincerest apologies for putting you in this situation. I would like you to know that had I been aware, whilst I may not have been able to prevent things unfolding the way they have, I certainly wouldn't have capitulated so readily.” Ragnor spoke earnestly and Alec began to see why Magnus was so fond of him.

“I understand. My mother is very determined and I doubt you could've done anything to stop this, if I'm being honest” Alec replied diplomatically.

“Which is better of you than I deserve. Please believe me when I say that Magnus is very dear to me, and should either of you have any issues, I will do my very best to sort them out. I realise it is perhaps a little too late but I hope it goes some way towards easing things.” Ragnor reached into his breast pocket and produced a card handing it to Alec.

“Thanks. I appreciate it, Mr Fell..” Alec pocketed the card and smiled softly.

“Please call me Ragnor and thank you, Mr Lightwood.”

“Alec, please..” Ragnor nodded sharply.

“Now it’s high time I started to pander to Magnus, lord knows I still have some grovelling to do.” Ragnor added with a sigh before turning to leave.

“Umm Ragnor…” Ragnor looked back. “I'm pretty sure Magnus has forgiven you, you know.”

“Ok I am quite aware of that..” Ragnor smiled conspiratorially. “However, I am equally sure that he will get a great deal of pleasure from torturing me for weeks and I feel, under the circumstances, I probably owe him his moment of victory.”

Ragnor paused for a second as if unsure whether to continue, before beginning to speak again.

“I have known Magnus for many years, and despite his bravado, he is one of the kindest, most loving men I know, behind his outward veneer of sass. I thought you should know.”

“Thank you.” Alec nodded.

“Although if you tell him I said that, I will deny it till my dying day.” Ragnor winked and Alec grinned.

“It'll be our secret.” There was no doubt in his mind that there was something deeply likeable about the grumpy Brit.

“Well, I have to say, I see the appeal.” Ragnor smiled as Alec raised an eyebrow, unsure of what he could be talking about. Before he had a chance to ask, Ragnor had returned to the others and begun organising everyone.

Pushing the conversation to the back of his mind, Alec followed him and before long was being ushered towards the back entrance.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So next time we take a trip to the teen choice awards...and Malecs first public appearance...


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec and Magnus at the teen choice awards...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my lovelies - so another chapter for y'all and I really hope you enjoy it...
> 
> So our boys make their first public appearance - let's see how that goes..

The drive to the venue was mercifully short but still long enough for Alec’s nerves to come back with a vengeance. By the time the car pulled up he couldn't stop his leg from jiggling and it was only when Magnus put a reassuring hand on his thigh that he relaxed at all.

“We’ve got this Alexander, ok. You and I, we’re a team now..” Magnus looked at him earnestly.

“Yeah ok..” Alec bit his lip and tried his best to stop shaking.

“Hey, why not think of it like going into one of your competitions.” Magnus smiled and Alec relaxed a little.

“At least I know what I'm doing there.” Alec grumbled and Magnus laughed softly.

He was right of course, all he had to do was focus on the goal, clear his mind. It was no different to a competition except of course this time he couldn't scowl his way through it. Taking a deep breath he closed his eyes, finding that strength within that he always called on before competing.

 _You can do this Lightwood. Just do your thing, you got this_.

Opening his eyes again he saw the car door open and Magnus step out before leaning in and offering him a hand which he grasped gratefully.

Holding onto Magnus like a lifeline, he plastered a smile onto his face and walked into the maelstrom of flashing lights and millions of questions.

………..

  
The light and noise were almost overwhelming as they stepped out onto the red carpet, even for Magnus, who was used to being the center of attention. Seeing the slight furrow on Alec’s brow, he squeezed his hand slightly and tried to ignore the undeniable flutter in his chest when Alec smiled back.

He’d worried how Alec would cope with the onslaught, but seeing the squared shoulders and resolute smile on his face, he rapidly realised how much he’d underestimated his strength of character.

Up ahead he could see Jace flirting with a female reporter and focused on getting Alec to his brother as quickly as possible, only pausing briefly to pose for some photos.

Halfway along Izzy came sprinting back and cheekily pushed between them ducking under their clasped hands with a grin, and honestly, Magnus could've kissed her when he heard Alec laugh affectionately.

Once they were inside it eased off and he felt Alexander’s vice like grip on his hand relax, if only a little. The chatter surrounding them in the entry marquee had lowered to a low hum and famous faces were posing for the photographers.

The respite was only brief and before long a reporter came rushing up clutching a microphone, cameraman in tow.

“Magnus, Alec Lightwood, you got a second?” Looking up at Alec, he saw him nod imperceptibly.

“Of course, my dear, where d’you want us?”

The reporter ushered them over to in front of a wall emblazoned with logos and signalled the cameraman to start filming.

“So I'm here with Alec Lightwood and Magnus Bane, and let's be honest guys, the first question on everyone’s lips is are the rumours true? Certainly looks that way.” The reporter giggled as she looked pointedly at where their hands were still clasped together.

“Oh Maria, you know a gentleman never kisses and tells…” Magnus batted his eyelashes innocently, the effect somewhat ruined when he turned towards Alec and winked, making him flush and roll his eyes.

“You're no fun, Magnus” Maria huffed before looking at Alec. “Maybe I’ll get more out of Alec here. Now between you and me, everyone is talking about the two of you. So was it love at first sight, ‘cos it surely looked that way.”

“Love...what...no..I” Alec had gone bright crimson and Magnus smiled up at him reassuringly before placing a hand to his chest.

“It’s all very new…” He looked pointedly at Maria and tried to ignore what the feel of Alec’s toned chest and thrumming heartbeat was doing to him.

“Well let me tell you, we’re all very excited.” She conceded defeat. “So Magnus, the season premier was amazing and nominated as a style icon as well, you must be so happy.”

The interview carried on for a few minutes with Magnus talking about the upcoming episodes a little and the reporter quizzing Alec on how training was going, a subject that certainly seemed to help him relax.

Magnus was glad to see Ragnor waving from behind the camera and politely finished the interview before leading Alec away.

“You Ok?” Magnus murmured as they walked towards Ragnor.

“Yeah, I'm good. It's not as bad as I thought.” There it was again, that lopsided smile and Magnus wasn't sure how he managed to keep walking straight, especially with Alec’s fingers still interlaced with his.

Magnus tilted his head and raised an eyebrow as he looked at Ragnor, his expression blank.

“Right, so far everything is going to plan. Alec you are needed for photos, some solo shots and with your siblings before Magnus joins you, if that's ok.” Ragnor studiously ignored Magnus’ huff of indignation.

“Yeah, that's fine.” Reluctantly, Alec let go of Magnus’ hand.

“I like that ,your first awards show and you're more in demand than me.” Magnus pouted before seeing the slightly worried look on Alec’s face and winking.

“Well to be fair, he is far better looking than you….” Ragnor commented.

Magnus placed his hand to his chest indignantly.

“Ragnor, you wound me..” He gasped as Ragnor rolled his eyes. “Sadly, you are of course entirely correct..”

“What? No…” Alec began to protest until Magnus laid a reassuring hand on his arm

“Don't worry darling, I know Ragnor is only teasing me..” It struck Magnus as he grinned at Alec how he was delightfully unaware of how attractive he was, which just increased his appeal exponentially.

“Oh, okay.” Alec smiled lopsidedly.

Unfortunately Magnus didn't get to appreciate the view of Alec walking towards Izzy and Jace, as Ragnor continued to talk to him.

“In the interim, I would suggest now would be an excellent time for a live session.” Ragnor tapped away on his phone.

“Actually, that is a good idea.” Magnus agreed as Ragnor looked up with a raised eyebrow. “What? You do _occasionally_ have good ideas.”

Glancing over his shoulder, Magnus saw Alec posing stiffly whilst Izzy and Jace effortlessly worked the camera ,before turning his attention to the screen in front of him and pressing to go live.

“Evening cherubs, so here I am at the Teen Choice Awards and I have to tell you that I am completely surrounded by some pretty amazing and talented people.” Magnus pointed the screen to the crowds around him. “Pretty impressive right? Oh wow, you guys are quick, I can see questions coming in already..”

Magnus’ eyes flicked down the series of posts, all with one resounding theme, and smiled a little.

“Well it seems you're all asking the same thing, doesn't it? So where is Alexander Lightwood, I wonder...hmmm.” Magnus picked up the phone and wandered over towards where the Lightwoods were being photographed. “Ah ha, I think we've found him.”

Magnus caught Alec’s eye and winked, making him blush and smile in the most adorable fashion.

“There, hope everyone's happy now.” Magnus chuckled as he saw the series of love hearts and positive comments flowing across the screen. “Looks like you are wait no….”

Magnus squinted at the screen reading one of the comments before looking back up.

“So @cammagnus4ever doesn't seem too pleased with me, apparently Alexander is far too grumpy. Seriously, look at that man, does he look grumpy to you...some people are just shy but when you get to know them better, the more remarkable they become.” Magnus turned the screen back to where Alec was looking at his sister, smiling softly, and it struck him that he'd probably said too much.

“Anyway, enough about that, let me tell you about what's coming up in the show because I really hope you're all going to love it..”

Magnus continued to talk for a few minutes before Ragnor interrupted and he had to sign off.

“Sadly everyone, duty calls, apparently I'm needed for photos and I promise I'll post more tomorrow.” Magnus blew some kisses at the screen before stopping the broadcast.

………

The last five minutes had felt like a lifetime. Alec was used to feeling in control, but somehow, put him in front of a camera and suddenly it felt like his body became an uncoordinated mess and it was made even worse by the fact that Jace and Izzy seemed to find posing as natural as breathing.

At one point he'd looked up to see Magnus smiling encouragingly, and despite blushing intensely, he couldn't help but relax, feeling a strange warm glow in stomach when Magnus winked at him.

Soon enough the photographer seemed satisfied with the photos, but before he even had a chance to relax, Magnus was being called over as they now wanted some shots of the pair of them.

Laughing and smiling, his siblings just wandered off leaving him to his fate, which was entirely typical of them.

“You ok?” Magnus murmured, his brown eyes filled with concern.

“Yeah, I'm good. Not my natural environment but..” Alec shrugged.

“I'm sure.” Magnus chuckled. “If it's any consolation, I think you're doing wonderfully.”

Alec smiled contentedly, wondering how it was that Magnus seemed to know exactly what to say to make him feel better.

“Well, a wise man told me to treat it like a competition and that seems to be working.” Alec grinned, enjoying the playfulness that seemed to have sprung up between the pair of them.

He was still smiling as the photographer began snapping away, only pausing to adjust their positions occasionally. Magnus was so close to him now that he could feel his breath on his cheek and it was getting increasingly hard to keep his concentration.

“That’s great guys, now if you could turn and look at each other..” A voice from behind the camera shouted.

As Magnus turned towards him he couldn't help the way his breath hitched, seeing those deep brown eyes so near to him was possibly the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. His hand itched to just reach up and stroke his face, run his thumb along one of those perfect cheekbones, and as for those lips, Alec didn't dare to look.

His heartbeat was thrumming in his ears as he lost himself in Magnus’ gaze and it took everything he had to not close the distance between them. Alec had always prided himself with his excellent self control but having Magnus _there_ was possibly the biggest challenge he'd ever had.

Closing his eyes for a second, he took a deep breath to try and calm his thoughts and unconsciously licked his lips. When he opened them again Magnus was looking at him wide eyed and it was almost more than he could take.

“Fantastic, that's a wrap.” The photographer put his camera down and Alec felt himself start back to reality, taking a half step back to try and distance himself.

He'd almost made a complete fool of himself again, just when he thought he had a handle on things. They were just getting to know each other and he'd nearly ruined it all, and on camera to cap it all. Magnus had offered the hand of friendship, and after what he had already done to make their situation better for him, respecting his wishes was the very least he owed him.

Fortunately the photographer had now turned his attention to solo shots of Magnus, giving Alec ample time to regroup. Granted, watching him seamlessly flow between poses didn’t help.

“Alec, I trust you're not finding this too unbearable, and if I may say ,I feel you are coping extraordinarily well.” Ragnor had appeared by his shoulder and Alec was grateful for the distraction.

“Actually yeah, I'm doing Ok. Magnus has been really helpful though..” Ragnor didn't respond, only giving an unreadable look before changing the subject somewhat.

“Capital. Well, it should get easier from here. As soon as Magnus is finished you’ll be shown to your seats and from then onwards the attention will only be on the pair of you during the actual awards.” Ragnor smiled reassuringly as Alec nodded his head, looking forward to the anonymity of the darkened auditorium.

“Magnus is presenting one award so I’ll come and retrieve him, and then the other awards will be towards the end. I would tell him..” Ragnor indicated to where Magnus was finishing up his shoot. “But I'm quite certain he won’t listen.”

“It’s fine, I'm used to organising Jace and Izzy, one more won’t be a problem.” Alec laughed as Ragnor patted him on the arm.

“Speak of the devil..” Ragnor murmured as Magnus rejoined them.

“Well thank god that’s done.” Magnus huffed dramatically, making Ragnor shake his head affectionately.

“Ah Magnus Bane, quiet retiring and hater of attention.” Ragnor teased as Magnus pouted.

“No, just conscious of saving Alexander from being bored to tears by your incessant need to organise.” Magnus retorted as Ragnor gave Alec a knowing look.

“Shall we?” Extending an arm towards Alec, Magnus nodded towards the doorway.

“Yeah.” Alec linked arms, not sure if it was the right thing to do seeing as, by now, the press junket’s attention was focused on the recent arrivals, but grateful for the reassurance of having Magnus near nonetheless.

Once inside, they were quickly shown to their seats, Alec sitting next to Isabelle with Magnus on the aisle where he could duck out quickly when needed.

“Hey you two, survived ok?” Izzy grinned as they sat down.

“Yeah..” Alec mumbled.

“Oh darling, all in all I think you did amazingly well.” Magnus added and Alec was grateful that the dimmed lighting hid his blush.

“Hey buddy, this’ll help.” Jace grinned, passing over a hip flask.

“Seriously, Jace..” Alec groaned, only to look wide eyed when Izzy produced a flask too. “I don't even want to know where you hid that.”

Izzy shrugged mischievously.

Turning to Magnus for back up he groaned as he saw Magnus jiggling a flask of his own, a wicked grin on his perfect lips.

“Oh Alexander, I have to agree with your delightful siblings here, these shows are absolutely interminable without a little light refreshment.” Magnus waggled his eyebrows as Jace snorted out a laugh.

Before he had a chance to reply, the lights began to dim further and music began playing to signal the start of the show.

By about halfway through Alec started to realise what the others were talking about, there were so many awards that everything was starting to blur into one. So far the only high point had been when Magnus had got up to present his award to some reality star he’d never heard of. In typical ‘high warlock style’ Magnus had made the envelope seem to open as if by magic and the card inside leap into his hand, receiving an unbelieving gasp from the audience.

Towards the end of the show Alec had completely zoned out and even finally accepted some of Izzy’s drink, admitting that on this occasion his siblings were entirely correct.

The announcement of the next award snapped him back to attention, the Style Icon category in which Magnus was nominated. Beside him, Magnus tensed slightly and he turned to smile at him in what he hoped was a reassuring manner.

“It’s just a silly award Alexander, don’t worry.” Magnus smiled back waving his hands dismissively.

“ _And the winner is the ‘High Warlock of Brooklyn’ himself, Magnus Bane_.”

The broad grin on Magnus’ face confirmed what Alec had suspected, the award meant more to him than he cared to admit, particularly as one of the other nominees was none other than Camille Belcourt, Magnus’ ex. From what Izzy had told him, if the entertainment gossips were to be believed their break up had been acrimonious to say the least.

Izzy leapt to her feet pulling Magnus into a tight hug and whispering her congratulations before Alec even had chance to react. Realising he should probably do something too, Alec stood and clumsily hugged Magnus feeling strangely awkward. Apparently the feeling was mutual as Magnus leant forward to kiss him on the cheek but accidentally caught the corner of his lips instead.

Alec felt like he couldn't breathe as Magnus pulled back, eyes wide before shaking his head and smiling nervously.

“Congratulations. I mean you totally deserve it, you always look amazing…”Alec bit his lip hoping that Magnus didn't read too much into what he said.

“Thank you, darling.” Magnus replied, apparently regaining his composure. “Oh dear, I seem to have marked you, my dear.”

Swiftly, Magnus reached up and wiped away the lipstick mark he’d left on Alec’s face with a swipe of his thumb and Alec prayed that he hadn't noticed the shiver that had run through him as a result.

Before he had a chance to say anything Magnus was being ushered towards the stage and Alec sat down watching him intently, avoiding the pointed looks his siblings were no doubt throwing in his direction.

……….

Magnus’ thoughts were whirling as he posed with the winner’s surfboard. The evening was not turning out in anyway the way he’d expected. Usually he was completely in control at all times but it’d become abundantly clear that being close to Alexander Lightwood turned him into a nervous teenager.

Firstly, he’d nearly lost it when Alec had turned to look at him during the photoshoot, the need to close the distance between them almost irresistible ,and then to cap it all, he’d completely mistimed kissing his cheek and nearly ended up totally embarrassing himself.

Magnus huffed to himself and focused on posing for the camera. It was just that he was excited about winning, that was all, nothing major. Of course he was excited, winning an award was supposed to be exciting wasnt it, and beating Camille Belcourt made the victory so much sweeter.

Magnus’ smile was genuine as he finished up, having reassured himself somewhat.

By the time he was done Alec had been rejoined by his sister who’d won best sportswoman and Jace who was still complaining about losing out in his category.

“I mean Steven Curry’s good, don't get me wrong, but seriously…” Jace huffed as Magnus approached.

“Just ignore him, he’s just a sore loser.” Izzy whispered conspiratorially, indicating Jace with her head.

“I am not, I'm just saying..” Jace pouted. “Fine whatever, let's get to the party, then we’ll see who’s the most popular sportsman.”

Alec laughed affectionately as his brother made a beeline towards the bar and Magnus stole a surreptitious glance at his profile.

“Sorry, I'm afraid I need to steal Magnus away for a second, the studio have arranged for him to meet some people.” Ragnor interrupted almost apologetically, as Magnus huffed with frustration folding his arms. “Oh don't be so dramatic, we’ll keep it brief.”

“Don't worry, I’ll look after Alec.” Izzy winked as Magnus was dragged reluctantly away.

If he was honest, he’d been looking forward to spending some time with Alec, hoping that he’d have a chance to smooth over his earlier missteps. The last thing he wanted was for Alec to feel uncomfortable and he felt quite sure that his behaviour earlier hadn't gone unnoticed.

Brushing off his worries Magnus put his game face on and prepared to play nice with whoever he was supposed to meet.

An hour later, Magnus realised that Ragnor had been blatantly lying when he’d said the meet and greets would be brief. So far he’d been introduced to an almost endless number of actors and singers, all of whom had seemed more than happy to be signed up for guest spots. He was quite sure that all of them in their own way were lovely, but try as he might he was finding it increasingly impossible to give them his full attention, his eyes drifting over to where Alec and Izzy were laughing together over the other side of the room and longing to join them.

“Well, I think that’s the last of them.” Ragnor checked his list for what felt like the millionth time. “Don't worry, you can go and find your man now.”

Magnus threw him a sour look.

“Oh, don't pretend with me old friend, you think I haven't noticed you glancing over every five seconds like a lovestruck idiot.” Ragnor stated plainly.

“I have no idea what you mean.” Magnus gritted out, simultaneously cursing himself for being so obvious and trying to ignore the way his heart was racing at the thought of returning to Alec.

“Of course you don't.” Ragnor muttered.

“Well forgive me if I just wanted to check Alexander was OK.” Magnus’ voice dripped with sarcasm, and whilst he hoped he’d covered his actions a little, he knew better than to expect he’d managed to pull the wool over Ragnor’s eyes. Sadly, his old friend knew him rather too well.

“Yes well, my work here is done, so I fully intend to leave you to it.” Ragnor replied placidly. “Try not to do anything too foolish, there's a good fellow.”

Magnus simply poked his tongue out as Ragnor left, chuckling to himself.

Looking across he smiled softly watching Alec interact with his sister, Jace having disappeared at some point, before straightening his collar and cuffs and starting to head over.

He’d barely crossed half the distance when the last person he wanted to bump into stepped into his way.

“Hello Magnus, it's been too long, darling.” Magnus felt himself wince as Camille  
Belcourt smiled up at him. “I missed you..”

“Well I can tell you with some certainty, the feeling is not mutual.” Magnus snapped, desperately trying to get Alec or Izzy’s attention.

“Oh, don't be like that. Surely you can't still be upset about that little dalliance of mine.” Camille’s tinkling laugh sounded like fingernails down a chalkboard to him.

“Me, upset? No, not at all, I gave up feeling anything but contempt for you a long time ago.” Noticing a few glances in their direction Magnus plastered on a smile, although there was no mistaking the coldness in his eyes.

“Magnus, sweetie, you don't need to pretend with me.” Camille laughed delightedly.

“I'm really not. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have far better places to be right now.” Magnus tried to duck round her but Camille grabbed his arm, blood red fingernails digging into his sleeve. With a shudder of disgust, Magnus shook her hand off abruptly.

“Now, now darling you don't want to make a scene in front of all these people, do you..” Camille hissed, all pretence of friendliness disappearing. Over her shoulder Magnus caught Isabelle’s eye and relaxed a little.

“Fine, I’ll play, Camille. What do you want? And make it quick.” Crossing his arms, Magnus turned to glare at her. The sooner this was over with, the sooner he could return to Alec.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So ok I know that was a cliffhanger but honestly a lots going to happen over the evening so I've had to split it into 3 chapter or it would be a monster because as it goes I have zero chill xxxx
> 
> I'd love to know what you think, seriously your comments are the best motivator out there xxx


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An evening at the after party..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...Camille eh...wonder how Alec will cope..
> 
> Huge thanks to you all for your wonderful support...I couldn't do it with out you so from the bottom of my heart thank you xox

Alec had relaxed considerably as the after party carried on, glad to not be the centre of attention at last. Jace had disappeared towards the bar early on and at last glance had been trying to charm some starlet over in a corner.

A few people had come up to congratulate Izzy on her win but his sister had refused to leave his side all night, which he was grateful for. Occasionally he’d catch Magnus’ eye across the room and his expressions of exasperation as he schmoozed his way through the crowd never failed to make him smile.

As the wait staff passed round, he'd even helped himself to a couple of glasses of champagne as the evening progressed, the warm glow from the alcohol calming him still further.

Glancing up he saw Magnus heading over, and turning his attention back to Izzy, he struggled to hide the smile on his lips, focusing instead on his drink.

“Alec.” Izzy nudged him.

“What?” Alec asked.

“I think you need to go get your man.” Izzy nodded over his shoulder, as Alec looked at her confused.

Alec turned his head to see a dark haired woman in a skintight gold dress and high heels approach Magnus, and even from this distance, it was clear that Magnus wasn't pleased to see her.

“That’s Camille.” Izzy stated as Alec swung back to look at his sister, brow furrowed. “Magnus’ ex..”

“Oh” Alec's gaze was drawn to the pair his heart sinking. There was no denying that Camille was gorgeous but there seemed something off about Magnus’ posture.

“Yes, ‘Oh’ and by the look of it, Magnus isn't happy to see her at all.” Izzy snatched a glass of champagne off a tray as it passed by.

“You don't know that.” Alec started to speak, only to see Camille grab Magnus’ arm and him shake her off abruptly. “Ok yeah, you’re right..”

“So…” Again Izzy nodded her head towards Magnus.

“I should go rescue him?” Alec replied uncertainly.

“Yeah, you should.” Izzy grinned “Go get him, tiger..”

Alec groaned, downing the rest of his drink before striding over with far more confidence than he felt.

………

“You have got to be joking.” Magnus stared at Camille in disbelief.

“Sweetie, you and I know it makes perfect sense. You may have been able to fool your silly little online fans, but honestly, it's so obvious.” Camille smiled wickedly.

“Really. I don't know what you _think_ you know, but whatever it is I'm certain you're entirely wrong.” Magnus made an attempt to get past her again but Camille simply stepped to one side and leaned close to his ear.

“Oh Magnus, do you really think I'm that stupid? What could you possibly have in common with that silly little tumbler of yours? Granted he's pretty, but honestly if you were that desperate for publicity you should've just called me.” Magnus barely suppressed a shudder of revulsion as Camille whispered in his ear.

“Right, let's get something straight here. Firstly, I may have only known Alexander for a few weeks but already I know he's a much better person than you could ever be, a million times over. Secondly, and I can't stress this enough, hell would have to freeze over before I even considered getting back together with someone like you, and even then it'd be doubtful.” Magnus stepped back, glaring at her and was glad to see a small amount of doubt in Camille’s eyes. “If you ask me, you're the one desperate for publicity, what's the matter Camille, people starting to see the real you?”

“How dare you?” Camille hissed her eyes flashing.

“Now, now you wouldn't want to ruin that perfectly crafted reputation of yours now, would you?” Magnus smirked as he saw the comment had well and truly hit its mark. Even better, before Camille had chance to answer, Alec appeared and pulled him into a hug.

“Um, you looked like you might need rescuing,” Alec whispered and this time it was a very different type of shiver that Magnus had to suppress, just nodding his head gently, hopeful that Alec would get the message.

If looks could kill Magnus was pretty sure Alec would be six feet under with the way Camille was looking at him right now.

“Oh I'm sorry, where are my manners, Camille Belcourt meet Alexander Lightwood, I'm guessing you've heard of him before. Remind me darling, how many gold medals have you won so far?” Magnus plastered on his most fake smile knowing full well Camille would know exactly what he was doing.

“Six so far and two team.” Alec grinned looking at Magnus before turning to appraise Camille, looking her up and down with apparent disinterest.

“Oh dear, you must be getting terribly near to the end of your career then. Tell me, what exactly do sportsmen do when they're too old to compete, apart from gaining weight and reminiscing about their glory days, of course.” Camille fired back smiling viciously.

For a second Magnus tensed, ready to leap to Alec’s defence, but Alec barely missed a beat before calmly replying.

“Oh nothing much, just train the new generation, you know, help motivate youngsters to reach their full potential.” Alec narrowed his left eye as he looked at Camille, apparently not bothered at all and Magnus felt himself relax a little. “Remind me, what do models do when the years start to catch up with them, I'd imagine you'd have first hand experience of that.”

“Oh there's plenty of things for me to do, it's a wonderful thing celebrity, not that you'd know. Anyway, I don't have to worry about that for quite some time yet, unlike you I'm at the height of my career.” The sound of Alec stifling his laugh made Camille flinch a little. Alec probably hadn't even noticed but Magnus knew her well enough to see that he'd touched a nerve, and quite honestly, this whole exchange was starting to become rather amusing.

“Really?” Alec made a poor attempt at concealing his smile as he looked at Camille closely. “I would've thought by now you'd be trying to make your mark in, oh I don't know, acting, presenting or even designing. Maybe it's just not working out for you, huh. Mind you, people have to actually want to work with you, so I guess that might be a problem from what I hear.”

Camille's smile was definitely slipping as she threw icy looks at Alec. It seemed he was on a roll though and without giving her a chance to reply, he turned to Magnus.

“So how about that drink we talked about?” There was something about Alec smiling at him that made Magnus’ heart want to beat out of his chest, and despite Camille standing right in front of them, he found himself smiling right back.

Deciding that he'd wasted more than enough time Magnus looked back at Camille, the warm glow in his stomach instantly disappearing when he met her hard expression.

“Well, lovely as this has been Camille, I have far more tempting places to be,” Magnus sneered, keeping his arm firmly around Alec’s waist.

“You'll regret this,” Camille gritted out, all pretence of civility long gone. “Trust me Magnus, how long do you think it will be before your little boy toy here gets bored of your silly little parlour tricks and gets to see the real you. Only this time, when you come crawling back, don't expect me to be waiting. I'm going to really enjoy waiting to see how little time it takes for him to work out that what you do isn't anything special, that you're nothing remarkable and all your games are as worthless as you are.”

Magnus jumped a little and turned to look as Alec burst out into laughter next to him.

“Sorry, I assumed you were joking. Oh my god you're serious, that’s priceless…” Alec shrugged his shoulders as Camille scowled at him and Magnus, honestly, he was just in shock. Yet again he was seeing another side to Alec.

Camille was fuming and Magnus couldn't help but tense knowing just how brutal she could be but Alec seemed completely nonplussed. “I'd love to know what you find so funny.”

“Oh I don't know, I just find it fascinating that you could criticise Magnus for making people happy and brightening up their days. Remind me, what do you do again? Oh that’s right, _you_ try and make people feel bad about themselves so they buy stuff they don't need. Quite the difference, don't you think..” The look on Camille's was possibly one of the best things he'd ever seen, a mix of shock and horror.

“Well I have to say darling, I couldn't have put it better myself.” Magnus could have hugged Alec right there and then and looking up at him, seeing that half smile on his lips was doing strange things to his pulse. “Shall we?”

Magnus nodded towards Izzy who was grinning like a proud parent.

“Yeah, let's do that.” Alec leaned towards him and pecked him lightly on the cheek and Magnus was glad that his make up concealed the sudden flush he felt rising on his cheeks.

“Oh and Camille, _now_ we're really done.” Spinning Alec to leave, he could still see the shock on Camille face but Alec wasn't done yet. In a loud stage whisper, he continued speaking.

“Oh my god, Mags, did you see those wrinkles?” Magnus burst out into joyous laughter as he saw Camille rushing away, no doubt to check her reflection.

…………

Magnus was still laughing as he guided Alec over to the bar area, reassuring him that he hadn't overstepped with what he’d said.

“Well my dear Alexander Lightwood, you are constantly surprising me.” Magnus laughed as he grabbed glasses of champagne for both of them.

“In good ways, I hope.” Alec smiled hesitantly.

“The very best..” Magnus returned the smile and handed a glass to him. Stepping back a little Magnus seemed to shake himself slightly before continuing. “Trust me when I say, I have never seen someone take down that demon quite as effectively as you just did.”

“Yeah well, you wouldn't believe what people try and say to you at competitions.” Alec grinned. Honestly, anyone who thought gymnastics was a nice sport would be astounded by the mind games half his competitors tried to play with him. In retrospect it turned out to be the perfect training for dealing with someone like Camille.

“Oooh do tell.” Magnus leaned on the bar and grinned mischievously.

“You really don't want to know. God, after I came out it was brutal. I don't know how they managed it but someone always seemed to appear just before my turn, and honestly, they're way more creative with their digs than Camille..”

“Well that certainly explains it then, although I'm sorry you had to go through all that.” Alec just shrugged. “But thank you for being my knight in shining armour.”

“Hardly, you’d have been fine without me..” Alec murmured, there was something about getting praise from Magnus that made him feel massively undeserving.

“Possibly, but it was downright hilarious to see you take her apart. In fact, all in all, the whole evening has been improved beyond measure by having you here.” Magnus glanced away briefly and cleared his throat and for a second Alec wondered if he’d done something wrong, or worse still, if he’d noticed his behaviour earlier. He only relaxed when Magnus looked back, smiling broadly and holding his champagne flute aloft. “A toast, I think. To our first public appearance.”

Alec smiled back as they clinked glasses but there was still a niggling doubt at the back of his mind, despite Magnus’ relaxed demeanor. True to form, Magnus picked up on his mood and looked at him concerned.

“I am sorry if this is too much for you Alexander, I know it’s a bit of a baptism of fire.” In the short time he’d known him, it had become clear that it was entirely typical of Magnus to be more concerned about everyone than himself.

“No, I'm fine, I'm good. It’s just..” Alec paused not sure how to continue. “Look, it’s none of my business..”

Magnus raised an eyebrow, glass paused halfway to his lips.

“Ok I just, I don't want to make things more difficult for you and...You would tell me if I went too far with Camille, right? I mean, I know you were, well, close.” Alec took a deep breath, unwilling to meet Magnus’ gaze for a second.

“Oh Alexander.” Magnus sighed and reached out to touch his hand.

“Sorry, it's fine and like I said, none of my business.” Alec tried to brush off his own words but Magnus was having none of it.

“Hey, look at me.” Magnus murmured softly and Alec glanced up to see him looking at him with a soft expression on his face. “It’s true that Camille and I were together for a while, we have history, if you like, but that’s all it is, history. If you ask me, she got away lightly and I am genuinely grateful for what you just did. Honestly, I’d file the whole relationship with her under ‘what the hell was I thinking’ and if you don't believe me, I'm quite sure Ragnor would take great pleasure in filling you in on all the gory details. He absolutely despised her and, much as I was unwilling to admit it at the time, he is an excellent judge of character. He would've loved what you just did, in fact thinking about it, it’s such a pity I didn't record it for posterity.”

Alec laughed softly, feeling somewhat reassured.

“Ok” he agreed gently.

“Good. Now enough about her, let’s get on with enjoying our evening, it looks like your sister is already..” Magnus nodded over to where Isabelle was standing, now surrounded by a circle of admirers.

……….

There was no denying it, Magnus was definitely enjoying the evening, possibly more than he ever had at one of these events and the reason was quite obvious, it was the man standing next to him, Alexander Lightwood.

The more he learnt about him, the more obvious it was that there was something special about Alec and Magnus was quite sure he’d never met anyone like him before. Once he relaxed, Alec was kind and considerate and witty in a way that he hadn’t expected in the least and he couldn't think of anyone he’d rather spend time with.

After the initial blip with Camille, which Magnus had to admit Alec had handled extremely well, they’d relaxed into a casual banter as Magnus filled him in on all the gossip he knew about the people present, with Alec listening in rapt attention. Somehow, in the short amount of time he’d known him, Alexander Lightwood had managed to get under his skin in the best of ways, and whilst he knew he’d have to deal with his feelings at some point, he was determined not to think too much about it right now and ruin what was turning out to be an excellent evening.

“You’re joking..” Alec laughed happily as he looked at Magnus who’d just finished telling him a rather juicy story about an aging actor who was standing on the far side of the room. Magnus replied with a shrug and Alec burst out into laughter.

“You would not believe some of the stories, my dear.” Magnus laughed happily.

“Well it seems like I have the perfect guide in you. There was me thinking gymnastics was bitchy.” Alec grinned.

“Oh, you sweet summer child..” Alec just rolled his eyes in response, making Magnus giggle like a teenager again.

“You wait, there’s stories I can tell you as well..” Alec retorted.

“Ah, the competitive side of you is showing, Alexander.”

“Maybe..” Alec shrugged.

“Well, I’ll look forward to it..”

“Yeah, me too…” Alec smiled back before flushing slightly when he realised what he’d said.

“In any case, you still owe me that visit to watch you training..” Magnus teased in an attempt to regain the light hearted mood they’d had.

“Was kinda hoping you’d forgotten about that..” Alec grumbled, although the shy smile on his lips told another story altogether.

“Not a chance. You have no idea how exciting the prospect is for me..” Magnus grinned.

“Okay, okay.” Alec put his hands up in surrender. “As long as it’s not on a pommel day, we’re good.”

“Not a fan of that, I take it..”

“Yeah, you could say that..” Alec ran his fingers through his hair and smiled slightly.

“Well, I don't think you're the only one, from what Luke says it’s…” Magnus paused as an idea started to form in his head. “Actually, I might have a suggestion..”

Alec tilted his head and looked at him quizzically and Magnus pushed the thought of how adorable he looked firmly out of his head.

“If you’d like, I’m pretty sure I could get Luke to come with me, he might have some tips…” Magnus bit his lip slightly, suddenly nervous he’d overstepped.

“Really?” Alec’s eyes lit up and Magnus felt himself relax again. “Do you think he would, I mean I thought he was done with gymnastics..”

It’d been quite the story when Luke had retired from the sport at the relatively young age of 25 and subsequently cut all ties to his former life. As was often the way with these things, there were extenuating circumstances and a rather dramatic fall out with his then training partner, Valentine Morgenstern, largely revolving around his treatment of his then wife, Jocelyn.

When Magnus had asked Luke about it he was always honest about his decision, that yes in some ways he missed the sport but mostly there wasn’t a day he really regretted his decision. Nonetheless, it didn’t stop him obsessively watching every pommel competition, his best event, and giving a running commentary on every competitor.

“Actually, whether he’d like to admit it or not, I'm quite certain he’d be delighted.” Magnus replied. “I’ll have a chat with him when we get back to New York.”

“Wow, that would be amazing.” There was something about watching Alec being happy that was absolutely mesmerising but before he had a chance to enjoy it a large shout from behind them broke the spell.

Alec glanced over his shoulder and groaned, making Magnus turn to see what was going on. It didn’t take him long to catch on. Clearly Jace had had way too much to drink and was currently trying to impress a group of onlookers with a somewhat wobbly handstand.

“Great, just great..” Alec muttered before looking at Magnus. “Look, I should...y'know, before he starts trying to do tumbles.”

“Of course. Let’s go..” Magnus downed his drink placing it on a table beside them.

“You don’t have to..” Alec frowned.

“Oh I know that, but I want to..anyway, I don’t think it’d be anywhere near as much fun here without you..” Alec opened his mouth to speak before shaking his head slightly, almost in disbelief.

“C’mon, let's go rescue your brother before he does something really stupid.” Magnus grinned and started to walk over before Alec had a chance to answer.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed that... as ever I love to hear your thoughts. Also quick question, I'm working on the next chapter and it's definetly longer than usual (yes I have zero chill) ...would you prefer one long chapter or two slightly shorter?
> 
> Anyway as ever you're all stars 
> 
> See you next week xox


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Alec and Magnus take care of Jace and finally get some time to talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided I couldn't break this into two smaller chapters afterall so I hope it's not too long for you....
> 
> Full disclosure I'm still in slow burn mode...I know it drives the lovely @ladymatt nuts (sorry hon, you know I love you really)...in my defence I'm hopelessly addicted to couples getting to know each other and I just want it to be special when they get together...

Izzy had rushed over to join them when they were halfway across the room, and it was only after a lot of reassurance from both Alec and Magnus that she somewhat reluctantly left them too it, but not before making them swear that they’d grab her if there were any problems.

Alec still couldn't quite believe that Magnus seemed so willing to help but there was no dissuading him, and whilst he was glad of the back up, he also felt guilty that he was being dragged into his family dramas.

When they reached Jace he was still insisting on showing off to a group of giggling girls, and quite frankly, Alec could've throttled him.

“Alec, Magnus, hey guys..” Jace grinned upside down, apparently determined to maintain his handstand for as long as possible. “Hey Soph, how long so far?”

“What?” Alec frowned down.

“Dude, it’s awesome, we’re seeing how long I can stay upside down..” Jace hiccuped slightly, his face looking decidedly red.

“2 minutes..” A dark haired girl giggled.

“Sweet..” Jace laughed.

“I'm sorry ladies, show’s over..” Magnus stepped forward, blocking the view and the crowd rapidly dispersed with murmurs of discontent.

“Ah c’mon, man..no fair..” Jace pouted, still upside down.

“Jace get up now, you’re way too drunk for this..” Alec folded his arms resolutely.

“Am not…” Jace briefly looked to Magnus for support before giving up. “Fine, whatever..”

As soon as Jace got to his feet he began to sway more than a little and Alec had to grab him to keep him standing.

“Fuck...yeah, woah...yeah don't feel so great now…” Jace had gone deathly pale and was leaning heavily on Alec so Magnus moved to support his other side.

“Let’s get you out of here, yeah?” Alec spoke softly, knowing better than to try and get into an argument with his brother when he was drunk. Jace just nodded sadly in response before hiccuping again.

As it turned out, leading a plastered Jace out of a crowded party was more of a challenge than Alec had expected. His brother was putting all of his weight on the pair of them and he had to admit, it would've been nigh on impossible without Magnus’ help.

Eventually they found their driver and bundled Jace into the back seat.

“You know you don't have to do this, I’ll be fine from here.” Alec laid a hand on Magnus’ forearm and looked at him concerned. This wasn't at all what he’d signed up for and he couldn't quite believe that he was sacrificing the rest of his evening.

“Oh darling, how exactly are you going to get him out at the other end ? Don't worry, strange as it sounds, I want to help and I certainly don't want to stay here without you..” Magnus patted his hand affectionately, as Alec surveyed his face for any sign of doubt but only found determination in the set of his jaw.

“Thanks. I really appreciate it, you know.” Alec smiled slightly.

“It’s really not an issue. In any case, I'm sure I've been rescued in similar states before so think of it as paying back all the time people have looked after me..As long as he doesn't throw up on me, we’ll be fine.” Magnus grinned back and Alec chuckled softly, looking at him in almost disbelief. It was hard to believe that Magnus had been so wonderful this evening, not only had he been constantly reassuring and downright amazing company but now he was helping with his drunken mess of a brother without even being asked.

“Probably best you sit in the front then.” Alec shrugged.

“That sounds like an excellent plan, my dear.” Magnus winked as he moved to the passenger side of the car and Alec had to take more than a few seconds to calm his breathing.

There was no denying it, Magnus was pretty much perfect and it left Alec in somewhat of a dilemma. A part of him never wanted the evening to end and another, more sensible part, knew that the more time he spent with him, the more difficult it would become to not do something stupid.

Alec couldn't stop the thought of what it would be like to kiss Magnus from flashing in front of his eyes and he had to grab hold of the car door to steady himself.

_No, no, no..stop it Lightwood, he just wants to be friends_.

Sighing deeply, Alec opened the car door. It wasn't like he hadn't been in this situation before, when he’d hit puberty he’d had an ill conceived crush on Jace, who his parents had adopted a couple of years previously. He’d got through that and he could get through this. Resolutely ignoring the little voice in his head telling him this wasn't the same thing at all and that Magnus was different, he stepped into the car.

………..

The suspicion that had been building front the moment he’d first met Alec had only been further confirmed by spending the evening with the man. It was official, Alexander Lightwood was terrifyingly perfect and Magnus was utterly screwed.

Firstly, he’d faced down Camille without a flinch, no mean feat for anyone and now he was looking after his drunken brother in the most calm and reassuring way Magnus had ever seen.

When they got into the car Jace had already retrieved his hip flask, which had miraculously refilled, and instead of losing his temper Alec had simply wrestled it away, whilst Magnus had to smother his laughter at the pair of them.

Arriving at the hotel, Jace had got to the sentimental stage and had insisted that Alec panda carry him to his room, which he had done without a murmur of complaint.

Now Magnus was standing rather awkwardly in Jace and Alec’s room as Alec looked after his brother, who from the sounds of it was being violently sick in the bathroom. He wasn't really sure what to do, but god help him, the last thing he wanted to do was leave. It was just in case Alec needed a hand with Jace that was all, he told himself, and absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he simply didn't want the evening to end just yet, even if it had turned more than a little messy.

Before he had chance to think anymore, a rather disheveled looking Alec emerged from the en-suite.

“Magnus, hey…” Alec ran his fingers through his hair in a futile attempt to straighten it as he looked at Magnus with surprise. “I didn't expect you to still be here. I mean you don't have to ..”

“I know that but I thought you might need some help.” Magnus smiled in what he hoped was a soothing manner, and judging by the way Alec’s shoulder seemed to relax, it appeared to be working.

“I should be fine, once I get him into bed, he’ll just pass out.” Alec smiled. “But maybe we could get a drink in the bar afterwards, I feel bad that I dragged you away.”

“And you really have no need, but a drink sounds lovely..”

“Good, great..” Alec seemed genuinely pleased and there was no mistaking the blush spreading up his neck as he hesitated a hair’s breadth too long before turning sharply and rummaging through suitcases.

“Dammit..” Alec had muttered almost inaudibly and Magnus could sense the frustration creeping in.

“Problem?” Magnus raised an eyebrow as Alec looked over his shoulder at him.

“No, it’s just I was certain I'd brought some Advil with me and trust me Jace’ll be unbearable tomorrow without them.” Alec rolled his eyes.

“Ah now, there I can be of assistance. Why don't you get him settled and I’ll just nip up to my room and get some for you, ok?” The smile on Alec’s face was doing all sorts of strange things to his insides and Magnus was glad of an excuse to slip out and regain his composure.

“That would be amazing..” Alec replied as if Magnus had suggested something far more impressive than simply retrieving some pain killers.

“It would be my pleasure.” Magnus replied, grinning and turning with a flourish in an attempt to hide how everything Alec did seemed to make him unnecessarily flustered.

As soon as he left the room Magnus leant back against the wall to calm himself down. What the hell was wrong with him? Making the decision that that was a question that he really didn't want to answer right now, he rushed off to his suite.

……..

Alec stood staring the at the door after Magnus had left. When he’d come back out into the room he’d fully expected him to have run away, hell he wouldn't have blamed him in the slightest, but instead he'd been standing there waiting and Alec couldn't deny the warm glow he’d felt in his stomach at just seeing him.

He’d suggested a drink without even thinking and then Magnus had gone and accepted as if it was a given that he’d want to spend more time with him and it was more than he could've hoped for. Therein lay the problem. Alec was no fool, he knew Magnus was just being kind and he also knew that the longer he spent in his company, the harder it would be to just remain friends with the man.

Nonetheless, Alec couldn't stop the small smile playing at his lips as he thought back over the evening.

A large crash behind him snapped him back to attention and he span round to see Jace stumbling out of the bathroom looking more than a little worse for wear and dressed only in his boxers.

“I'm really sorry, buddy..” On the plus side, Jace had the good sense to look guilty as hell.

“It’s ok..look let's get you into bed, yeah..” Alec sighed. He should be used to this by now, he loved his brother, he really did, but responsibility wasn't a word that was in Jace’s vocabulary.

“Yeah..” Jace mumbled before throwing himself into the middle of the bed and practically passing out straight away.

Alec shook his head in defeat and manhandled him under the sheets before grabbing a pillow and a couple of spare blankets and throwing them onto the floor resigning himself to sleeping there.

……..

As Magnus rushed to his room and grabbed the pills from his wash bag he realised, once again, just how ridiculous he was being. It was as if there was an undeniable magnetic pull between him and Alec however much he tried to pretend it wasn't there, a small part of his brain was already frantically waving a white flag determined to give into his feelings.

Ever since Camille he’d successfully put up walls and now everything Alec did seemed to be chipping away at his defences, despite how often he tried to convince himself it was futile.

Pausing for a second, he passed the pills from hand to hand. It would be so easy to just tell Alec he was too tired and back away until his mind was less fuzzy from alcohol. So why couldn't he do it?

With a huff of frustration Magnus grabbed his key card and hurried back, his legs carrying him to Alec's door, whether he wanted to or not.

……….

Within a couple of minutes Alec had managed to resign himself to the fact that Magnus wouldn't be coming back because really, why would he? Who in their right mind would want to help him out with his drunken brother when they barely knew him, and hadn't he done enough already? If it hadnt been for Magnus’ reassuring presence the evening would've been far more difficult to get through, and instead of enjoying himself as he had, he would've found it unbearable.

Jace was now snoring gently and had managed to starfish across the entire bed and Alec knew far better than to try and move him. Taking off his jacket, he hung it in the wardrobe and started to sort out his makeshift bed resigning himself to a sleepless night. True, he could phone Isabelle but he really didn't want to ruin yet another person’s evening.

It took him far longer than it should to acknowledge the soft knocking at the door, having convinced himself that Magnus had used any excuse to escape. Rationalising that it was probably Izzy, he went to answer, not wanting to get his hopes up too much.

The sight of Magnus standing patiently in the hallway set his heart racing again, still not quite believing he was actually here.

“You came back..” Again, Alec’s brain to mouth filter decided not to work.

“Of course..I said I would..” Magnus looked at him puzzled, as if unable to comprehend why Alec would believe otherwise.

“Well, yeah, but I wouldn't have blamed you..” Magnus just patted his arm reassuringly as he entered.

“So how is he? Ah, passed out already, I see.” Magnus rolled his eyes as he looked at Jace snoring away. “Well, let’s just get these tablets sorted out eh and then, as I recall, you mentioned something about a drink, didn't you?”

“Yeah..” Alec smiled shyly, feeling decidedly flustered.

………….

At first Magnus didn't quite know how to react to Alec’s surprise at seeing him, wondering if perhaps he hadn't wanted him to return, before realising that wasn't it at all. No, Alec hadn't expected him because he didn't get that anyone would want to help him, the realisation making him have to fight the urge to bundle him in a huge hug and reassure him that he wasn't alone.

Instead, Magnus busied himself in getting everything set up on the bedside table for Jace, who was fast asleep, oblivious to the problems he’d caused. It was easier to concentrate on what needed to be done than look at Alec, who was watching him with a soft smile that was doing strange things to Magnus’ insides.

Carefully he placed the pills on the table and grabbed a glass to fill with water, practically stumbling over a pile of bedding in his haste to reach the bathroom. Looking down, the realisation dawned on him and he glanced up at Alec for confirmation.

“Please tell me, Alexander, that you’re not planning on sleeping on the floor?” Magnus shook his head in disbelief at his selfless ways.

“Um..well..yeah...It's just Jace tends to thrash about and I, well I didn't want to ruin Izzy’s night as well.” Alec rubbed his neck, an action Magnus was rapidly beginning to realise meant that he felt uncomfortable.

“Honestly, I simply won't allow you to do such a thing, not when I have a perfectly lovely suite that you can share…” Wait what did he just say?

Despite his calm facade, Magnus’ thoughts were all over the shop, on the one hand it seemed only fair that he share his room with Alec, afterall he did have a collection of rather comfortable sofas that he could quite happily sleep on. Obviously Alec should have the bed due to his ridiculous height and the fact that Magnus didn't need to worry about cramped muscles as much as an athlete in training.

The other part of his brain was screaming at him that he was insane. Magnus wasn't known for his self control at the best of times, but Alec was stretching it to breaking point by simply being around, so how on earth would he cope alone in a room with him all night?

“Magnus, no...I couldn't ask that of you..” Magnus was so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he almost missed what Alec had said.

“And you didn't, my dear, I offered..” Magnus crossed his arms in determination. It was ridiculous, of course he should offer a bed for the night to Alec and it was only his own selfishness that was stopping him. He had a suite for goodness sake, everything would be fine.

“In any case, as you may remember the only reason I have such luxury accommodation is because of you, so really it seems only fair…” Magnus added watching Alec’s expression waver a little.

“I mean, if you’re sure…” Alec nibbled his bottom lip nervously.

“I'm absolutely certain. In any case, as we’re supposed to be dating it makes sense, doesn't it?” Magnus replied with far more certainty than he felt. “Well, now that’s sorted you should grab your things and we’ll get you settled.”

“Are you always this stubborn.?.” Alec laughed, the tension easing a little.

“It’s one of my better traits..” Magnus grinned back.

“Ok then…” Alec made his way to the en-suite before pausing halfway there. “Wait, shouldn't we get that drink first..I mean, I did promise..”

“And miss the opportunity to make a dent in the minibar that is being paid for by the   
studio…” Magnus chuckled.

“Oh ok..”

“In any case, at least that way we won't be under constant observation…” The thought of spending time with Alec without being under the watchful gaze of everyone else was certainly very appealing, and quite frankly, Magnus would take any opportunity to get to know him better.

“Yeah, that makes sense.” Alec smiled. “Oh and Magnus, thank you for tonight. I don't think I would've got through it without you..”

Alec shuffled off to get his things before Magnus had a real chance to reply leaving him a perfect view of his retreating form.

“You are most welcome, Alexander Lightwood.” He murmured to no one in particular.

……….

“So, why magic? I mean, if you don't mind me asking that is..” Alec was sprawled on one of the sofas as Magnus sorted his way through the contents of the minibar.

“Not at all.” Magnus grabbed a couple of glasses and a bottle of prosecco he’d found hiding and headed over to join Alec. “I'm afraid it’s not the happiest of stories though, but in the end, it worked out beautifully..”

“Sorry, if it’s too personal..” Alec was back to doing the neck rub thing again and Magnus couldn't have that.

“Alec, it's fine, now scooch up..” Magnus put the bottle down on the table and flapped his hands at Alec, glad to see the grin return to his face. “Ok, so where to begin..”

Popping the cork, Magnus poured out drinks for the pair of them and handed Alec his glass before relaxing back onto the sofa next to him.

“Well, I suppose it all started when I was in foster care really..” As he glanced across he saw Alec’s brow furrow.

“Oh god, I didn't know..” Alec mumbled.

“Alexander, it's quite alright..” Magnus patted Alec’s leg. The strange thing was that ordinarily he was very secretive about his past but, for some reason, he had no qualms about telling Alec everything. Hell, for the first time in what felt like a lifetime he actually wanted to. “Everyone has their sad stories, granted my childhood was, shall we say, not really ideal..”

Alec said nothing, just nodding gently.

“Suffice to say when I was eight I lost my mother, suicide, and my stepfather, well let's just leave it as he had no desire to keep a constant reminder of her around..”

“Magnus, that’s...I'm so sorry…” Alec’s face was filled with worry.

“It’s ok. Really it is, it wasn't for quite some time, but I made my peace with it a long while ago. It’s funny really, as a child I thought it was somehow my fault, but as an adult I realise she was ill and there was nothing I could do..” Magnus looked up at the ceiling unwilling to face Alec at that moment, fearing the vulnerability in his face would give him away. “In a strange kind of way I think it helped me become who I am..”

The last sentence was added as an afterthought, barely audible but Alec picked up on it anyway.

“Yeah, that makes sense.” Magnus turned to see Alec look at him seriously, not a scrap of pity on his face, and once again he felt his insides melting and for a second all he could do was smile back.

“Anyway, long story short, some children use humour to fit in, others act out, I had a determination to make everyone happy, hence the magic. That, and if I'm honest, it wasn't always the easiest to fit in as the Asian child, the Asian child who does magic? Well that’s something else entirely.” The words seemed to be flowing out easily and Alec listened patiently without judgement.

“Giving people their moment of wonder..” Alec muttered to himself.

“Yes I suppose it was.” Alec looked at him wide eyed once he realised Magnus had heard him. “Then I got lucky, I got placed with Luke and Jocelyn who are, no word of a lie, the most wonderful people I've ever met. I really can't wait for you to meet them you know, although I'm a little worried they'll adore you too much..”

“I doubt that..” Alec chuckled.

“Oh Alexander, you have no idea..” Magnus laughed, feeling lighter than he had in years. Ordinarily telling his story led to unnecessary drama but Alec had just accepted it all without judgement. “Anyway it didn't take long for Clary, Jocelyn's daughter, to find out about my little hobby and even though she was just a child she has always been determined and the rest as they say is history.”

“Thank you.” Alec looked at him earnestly and Magnus scrunched his brows in confusion.

“For what?”

“For telling me. For trusting me, I guess.” Alec was, as ever, plain spoken.

“Well you trusted me tonight in far more stressful circumstances, so it seemed only fair.” Magnus brushed off the conversation as if it were nothing. Alec opened his mouth as if to reply but Magnus silenced him with a wave of his hand before continuing.

“If it's any consolation I thought you did brilliantly, and trust me, I know how difficult these things are for newcomers.” Again the puzzled expression flitted across Alec's face.

“Yeah, but you seem such a natural at it and I'm ...well..” Alec shrugged.

“Oh my dear, looks can be deceiving. You forget I've been around long enough to know how to play the game, and let me tell you, it wasn't always that way. When I started out I was rather a fan of the celebrity lifestyle, now not so much. I think when you see through the facade, it somewhat loses its lustre.” Alec tilted his head, watching him closely and Magnus wasn't sure if it was the alcohol loosening his tongue, but for some reason he felt the undeniable urge to just blurt everything out. “I must confess at first I took it all at face value, believed every flattering lie that people told me. It was quite the adventure for a young bisexual man let me tell you, having your pick of the young and beautiful but none of them ever stayed, not until…”

Magnus stopped himself, realising what he was about to say, but Alec was too astute to miss the point.

“Until Camille, right?”

Magnus sighed and placed his glass on the table.

“Yes, until Camille. I'm quite sure you have a very low opinion of her after tonight, quite rightly I may add, but in her own way she saved me from myself, and much as I have no inclination to have anything to do with her anymore, a part of me will always be grateful to her for that. I'm sorry if that sounds weird.”

“Not at all, just say what you think.” Magnus looked at Alec again, searching for any sign of discomfort but only seeing an openness there that was almost magnetic.

“Hmmmm.” Magnus paused for a second tapping his fingers lightly together, unsure of how to continue. “I think it started to dawn on me after a while that although I was never short of attention, everyone was more enamoured with the High Warlock of Brooklyn than Magnus Bane, if that makes sense.”

Alec nodded, and taking a deep breath, Magnus continued.

“Camille, well she seemed different at first. There I was at my lowest point and she stuck around and to start with it was so much fun.”

“So what changed?” Alec had turned his body to face him and rested an arm on the back of the sofa, chin resting on his hand.

“Oh little things at first, deciding which party to go to, what clothes I should wear, that sort of thing, and I was too lovestruck to notice. Soon enough she was trying to control every aspect of my life, and quite frankly, I'm not sure why Ragnor and Catarina even stuck around.”

“They're good friends..” Alec murmured.

“They are indeed. Sadly, as I'm guessing you are aware, I can be quite stubborn at times and well, let's just say it took a while to see Camille for what she was..” Magnus paused for a second not really wanting to go into the whole cheating debacle just yet.

“And there’s been no one since?” Alec’s face was unreadable in the dim light.

“Oh there's been flings and so forth and one lovely South American musician.” Magnus sounded wistful and Alec watched him, one eye slightly narrowed. “Imasu, that was his name. He was a lovely man but somehow that spark just wasn't there and I couldn't give him what he wanted.”

“Yeah, I know that one..” Alec muttered.

“Why, Alexander, I do believe there’s a story there.” Magnus was grateful for the shift in attention but unwilling to push too hard. “But perhaps for another night, eh?”

“Raj.” Alec blurted out and Magnus raised an eyebrow. “It's ok, I want to tell you...I mean, if you like.”

This time it was Magnus’ turn to nod encouragingly.

“I met him at a contest and we just clicked, you know. I think it was more that he was the first guy who showed an interest and it was fun for a while, but at the end of the day, we were always better as friends. Didn't take long to work it out, but I'll always be grateful to him, he gave me the courage to come out, so…yeah…” Alec looked down at his hands which were clasped tightly in his lap. Seeing his apparent discomfort Magnus wracked his brains for a way to lighten the mood.

……….

“I swear it’s absolutely true…” Alec laughed, eyes crinkling at the corners.

“No, nope..” Magnus joined him in laughter. After their initial conversation he’d managed to steer things back to lighter ground and for the last half an hour Alec had been regaling him with stories of his siblings exploits. As it turned out, once you got past his initial reserve, Alec had a brilliant sense of humour and Magnus had been giggling uncontrollably for some time now.

“You should've seen his face..” Alec pulled an expression uncannily like a disgruntled Jace that had Magnus creasing up again.

“I can just picture it..” Magnus paused as he saw Alec yawn then instantly slam his hand over his mouth, flushing bright red. Taking a quick glance at his watch his eyebrows quirked in surprise, somehow the hours had flown by and it was now either really late or ridiculously early, depending on your perspective. “Oh my, I had no idea of the time, perhaps we should turn in..”

“It’s not that late…” Alec began to protest before stifling another yawn.

“Alexander Lightwood, forgive me if I'm wrong, but don't you have a lunchtime flight tomorrow?”

“Well yes…”

“Then I think it’s high time you got some rest…” Magnus admonished lightly.

“Yeah, I s’pose..” Alec ran his fingers through his hair sheepishly. “Ok, well if I could grab a spare blanket, I’ll get myself set up here…”

Alec stretched before standing and moving towards the other sofa where he began to arrange cushions.

“Honestly Alexander, what do you take me for, as if I'd let a guest take the sofa…” Magnus folded his arms as he looked at a rather confused looking Alec.

“But…”

“It's fine Alec, the sofa’s mine. I mean, as if you could fit your giant frame on there comfortably anyway..” Magnus shook his head.

“Yeah cos you’re so small yourself..no wait, you're a couple of inches shorter than me, if that..” Alec was actually pouting and Magnus found it adorable.

“That may be so but I'm not the athlete in training..” Magnus fired back. “Also, can I refer you to our previous conversation...stubborn, remember..”

Magnus indicated himself with his thumbs and Alec tried hard not to laugh.

“Good, well that’s settled then. Now I suggest you use the bathroom first…” Magnus smiled somewhat victoriously.

“I'm not gonna win this one, am I?” Alec huffed

“Not a chance..” The grin Magnus aimed back had Alec shaking his head in defeat.

………….

Alec lay in bed listening to Magnus humming in the bathroom and smiled softly. There was something so comforting about the whole scene, like somehow this was how it was supposed to be.

Rolling his eyes at his own stupidity Alec flung himself onto his back and stared at the ceiling. Magnus had been determined with the sleeping arrangements and honestly it just didn't sit right. All evening he’d done everything to make Alec as comfortable as he could and it just didn't seem fair that his reward was a night on a sofa, albeit a comfortable one.

Before he had a chance to think any more, Magnus emerged, hair flopping softly around his face and all traces of make up removed and Alec was pretty sure he lost the power of rational thought.

“Magnus…” Alec murmured.

Pausing, Magnus stood with the bathroom light illuminating him and Alec unconsciously bit his lip.

“I thought you’d be asleep by now..” Magnus admonished lightly as Alec cleared his throat before sitting up.

“Yeah...look I feel really bad about this..” Alec indicated the bed as Magnus perched on it beside him.

“We’ve been through this, darling…” Magnus replied softly.

“Why don't we share...I mean what’s this, super king size? Think of it as a compromise..” Magnus seemed speechless for a second and an unreadable look flashed across his face. “I mean, unless that’s weird for you..”

“No, it's not that…” Magnus replied, appearing strangely flustered.

“Then it’s settled. You're not the only one who’s stubborn, you know..” Alec laughed a little, trying to hide the fact that it had just dawned on him what he’d blurted out.

It shouldn't be a big deal really, should it. I mean, after all, that’s what friends did. How bad could it be? In any case, he’d said it now and he could hardly turn round and rescind the offer just because the thought of having Magnus so near was making his pulse thrum in his ears.

“If you’re sure..” Magnus replied uncertainly, and Alec just nodded firmly, afraid that he’d say something stupid in response.

Gracefully, Magnus stood up and moved to the other side of the bed and slipped beneath the sheets, lying on his side facing Alec.

“Now, one last thing, please tell me you don’t snore..” Magnus waggled his eyebrows and instantly some of the tightness in Alec’s chest seemed to release.

“Nah, that’s more Jace’s thing..” Alec felt the familiar warm glow in his stomach which he’d come to associate with Magnus as he heard his soft laugh.

“Well in that case, night night and sweet dreams..” Their eyes met for a second too long before Magnus broke the moment by turning away and Alec felt like he could breath again.

“Night, Magnus..” Alec whispered before turning away and settling down to sleep.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew...you made it...hope it wasn't too much of a slog.
> 
> As ever your support has been off the charts with this fic and you have no idea how grateful I am...
> 
> I always love to hear what you think and feel free to come and say hi on tumblr @the-burning-tiger...


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we are at Monday again so time for another update.
> 
> I have been constantly shocked and surprised by your wonderful support and honestly, I know I say this a lot but a million thank yous to every single one of you x

Somewhere between asleep and awake, Alec felt the warm body pressed against his chest and instinctively nuzzled in closer inhaling the very masculine smell mixed with earthier undertones of sandalwood.

Slowly waking he stretched his fingers feeling the warm firm skin under his palm and sighed contentedly. The body wiggled in closer towards him and mumbled something in his sleep and for a second he allowed the feeling of contentment to seep into his bones.

Alec snapped his eyes open suddenly and what had seemed like the perfect dream rapidly became his worst nightmare. Inadvertently in his sleep he’d been spooning Magnus Bane.

Instantly he felt the panic rise in his chest, if Magnus was to wake up now there was no way Alec could explain things that wouldn't make him seem like the world’s biggest loser. Again Magnus wiggled gently against him, and as if his situation wasn't bad enough, Alec could feel his body responding.

Gingerly Alec removed his hand, which had somehow found its way under Magnus’ pyjama top and was resting on his stomach, and tried to think of anything bar how firm and smooth Magnus’ abdominal muscles felt. Holding his breath, he saw Magnus move again but fortunately he seemed to stay asleep.

If he could just extricate himself from the situation Magnus would be none the wiser but it was easier said than done. It felt like a lifetime before he managed to free his legs which were tangled up, not only with Magnus’, but in the bed sheets as well.

Alec rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, taking a small break before tackling the most challenging part, extricating his right arm which was currently trapped under Magnus’ neck. Just when he thought he was within touching distance of escaping, Magnus murmured in his sleep and rolled over, head resting on Alec’s shoulder and hand lying on his chest.

_Shit!_ What the hell was he supposed to do now, there was no way he could get out without waking Magnus in the process, but equally, staying as he was didn't seem a more appealing option, especially considering having Magnus snuggled up to him left him sporting a none too subtle erection.

Alec pinched the bridge of his nose hard and focused on calming his breathing, trying hard to combat the mounting feeling of panic. There had to be a way out if he could just think things through but the only problem was that having Magnus cuddled up to him made all logical thought fly out of the window.

Magnus muttered in his sleep and Alec froze as he felt him starting to wake up. Knowing there was no way out, he decided his only option was to feign sleep in the hope that Magnus wouldn't bring the matter up.

Relaxing as much as possible, Alec focused on reducing his heart rate knowing full well that his racing pulse would undoubtedly give him away and let his free arm lie limply at his side. To add authenticity he even pretended to snore softly as he watched for Magnus' reaction through eyelids almost closed.

………….

Magnus woke gradually from what had possibly been one of the best night’s sleep he’d had in ages feeling warm and comfortable. Opening his eyes blearily, the reality of his situation hit him like a truck, in his sleep he’d somehow managed to work his way over towards Alec and was now draped all over the poor man like a bad coat.

Cautiously he moved his head and with a sigh of relief noticed that Alec was still asleep, his eyelids fluttering gently and his breathing deep and heavy, interspersed with the occasional adorably soft little snore. Thanking his lucky stars that Alec was such a heavy sleeper, Magnus crept out of bed and rushed into the bathroom, leaning heavily back on the door after he’d closed it.

After taking a few moments to compose himself, Magnus moved to the bathroom mirror to check his reflection.

Gods he was such an idiot, he knew that sharing a bed with Alec had been a bad idea but instead of listening to common sense, he’d just gone along with it.

Magnus ran the tap and splashed his face with cold water trying to regain some sense of calm, a task that was becoming increasingly difficult as his mind insisted on going through what would've happened if Alec had, in fact, woken up while his body was still reacting to having had a certain gymnast cuddled up next to him.

“Seriously..” Magnus muttered angrily at his reflection, before giving up and realising that a cold shower was most definitely in order.

Still deep in thought he turned on the shower and quickly stripped out of his silk pyjamas before stepping into the cubicle. The cold water hit him like thousands of tiny knives but fortunately had the desired effect, and despite shivering, his mind felt a lot clearer as he stepped back into the bathroom and began towelling himself down roughly.

Realistically things could be a lot worse. Alec was utterly unaware of his misstep and all he had to do was act normal, whilst simultaneously setting himself some strict ground rules to prevent getting into any more trouble.

Pulling on his pyjama pants and grabbing a robe, he snuck back out of the bathroom breathing a sigh of relief as he noticed Alec still appeared to be fast asleep, lying flat on his stomach. Pausing for a second, he contemplated grabbing some clothes before deciding he wasn't quite ready to face Alec yet, making his way into the living room instead.

Over in the corner of the room Lily had left her mirror behind and his makeup was still scattered over the table. Ordinarily he used cosmetics to accentuate his personality, today as he sat down to carefully apply his eyeliner, it felt more like putting on armour.

The question was how to handle the morning without feeling awkward. As his eyes flitted over the room, he caught sight of a room service menu. What could be more normal than having breakfast waiting when Alec finally awoke.

…………

It had taken every ounce of self control not to move when Magnus woke up, but after he’d heard him move into the bathroom, he finally felt he could relax, pretty sure he’d got away with it.

He could hear the sound of the shower starting and knew he had some time to calm down. The difficulty was it was easier said than done and he couldn't help but wonder what Magnus must have thought when he realised the position they were in. Strictly speaking it could've been worse, it didn't bear thinking about what he would've thought if he’d woken up to Alec wrapped round him.

Rolling on his stomach he turned his head away from the bathroom, worried the temptation of watching Magnus emerge still damp would be too much for even his level of self control.

He heard Magnus emerge from the bathroom and move into the main room, closing the bedroom door gently behind him but still he didn't move, worried about how he would face him.

He wasn't entirely sure how long he waited, it felt like a lifetime, but it was only when he heard the sound of knocking at the door of the suite that he decided it was time to face the music. Dragging himself out of bed, he straightened his t-shirt and ran his fingers roughly through his hair.

Squaring his shoulders he walked towards the living room, ignoring the urge to go to the bathroom, worried that any further delay would destroy the small amount of resolve he had left.

As he emerged into the room Magnus looked up from where he was directing a busboy to place a selection of food onto a table.

“Alexander, you're awake, and may I say excellent timing, breakfast has just arrived.” Magnus smile warmly but Alec was sure there was an edge of tension to his voice, although it could've been his imagination. “Now, I must confess I wasn't sure what you’d want, I know you athletes have a strict diet so I got a little bit of everything. I hope that’s ok.”

Magnus turned to the busboy and ushered him to the door, only stopping to grab his wallet and hand over what looked to be a rather healthy tip.

Alec glanced at the table to see a huge array of food, everything from cut meats to fruit and pastries, honestly, there was enough to feed an army, and he couldn't help but smile, some of the tension bleeding out of his shoulders.

Looking back up he saw Magnus watching him expectantly.

_Just act normal, Lightwood_. He told himself sternly.

“Are you sure there’s enough for both of us?” He teased lightly, hoping that it didn't seem too forced.

“Hmm” Magnus stood back and looked over the table, finger held to his lips. “It is possible I may have over ordered.”

This time Alec’s laugh was more genuine, despite it all, the domesticity of sitting down to eat together felt strangely natural.

“Little bit..” He chuckled, sitting down by the table as Magnus shrugged his shoulders.

“Coffee? Tea?” Magnus sat down opposite him and smiled gently.

“Umm just coffee thanks, black..”

Alec had just grabbed the mug from him and was wondering what to say next when he was saved by an incessant knocking at the door.

With a huff of indignation, Magnus stood up and went to answer.

………….

Magnus felt like he could finally relax. From what he could tell, Alec was completely oblivious to what had happened, which was a relief to put it mildly. Unfortunately the feeling didn't last long, just as he was settling down to eat, a loud knocking at the door disturbed them and reluctantly he got up to see who could possibly be bothering them at this time.

Opening the door he was met with a remarkably wide awake Isabelle Lightwood and a decidedly worse-for-wear Jace.

“Magnus, thank the angel, have you seen Alec? This one doesn't remember where he went.” Izzy glared at her brother and Jace just shrugged guiltily before wincing a little, as if in pain.

“Isabelle dear, it’s fine..” Magnus opened the door wider, revealing Alec sitting, mug of coffee in his hands.

Izzy paused for a second, looking in disbelief between Magnus and Alec before breaking into an ear to ear grin and striding into the room.

“There you are..I was worried sick and all the time you were here, eh?” Izzy nudged Alec gently in the side and Magnus watched that delightful blush spread on his cheeks.

“Yeah, no, Magnus let me stay as someone was star fishing all over the bed.” Alec muttered, glaring at Jace.

“Oh it was no bother, as it turns out the sofas are remarkably comfortable.” Magnus waved his hand towards where bedding was still laid over one of the sofas. He wasn't really sure why he did it, but when he saw Alec relax a little he knew it’d been the right thing to do.

Izzy paused, looking skeptically between the pair of them, meanwhile Jace had slunk into the room and started helping himself to food.

“Help yourself, why don't you?” Alec muttered shaking his head at his brother.

“Ah c’mon man, there’s more than enough and seriously, I feel like something’s trying to tunnel out of my head..” Jace complained.

If he was being completely honest, Magnus was grateful for the arrival of the Lightwoods. At least this way there was a healthy diversion from the rather large elephant in the room and he didn't have to work out if Alec was aware of what he’d done.

“I think perhaps we may have to act as a buffer between those two.” Magnus whispered conspiratorially, linking his arm through Izzy’s.

“Tell me something new..” Izzy rolled her eyes as the pair of them walked towards the table.

“I would like to claim that I intentionally ordered enough for all of us but as it goes, it was more of a fortuitous accident which we should all take advantage of.” As Magnus spoke, Alec looked up and smiled softly.

“See, Magnus doesn't mind..” Jace huffed.

“Like you knew that..” Alec grumbled as his brother helped himself to coffee.

Magnus smiled as he sat down, there was no denying he was getting used to having the Lightwoods around, somehow it felt entirely comfortable.

…………

Alec had known it was too good to last. He’d managed to survive breakfast and checking out of the hotel without further questioning. Even saying goodbye to Magnus, who was returning to New York on the red eye, had gone smoother than he hoped but he knew his sister well enough that she’d been watching him carefully throughout.

He’d been incredibly relieved when Magnus had implied that he’d slept on the sofa, somehow knowing that if Izzy had known the truth that she’d have never let it go. How he’d known that, he wasn't sure, and for a split second it’d crossed his mind that perhaps Magnus had realised exactly what he’d done, but perhaps it was just as simple as he hadn't wanted his sister to read something into the situation that wasn't there.

It was only halfway through the flight that his sister pounced, by which point he was a captive audience. He couldn't even rely on Jace for help as his brother was currently fast asleep, leaning heavily on the window.

“So…” Izzy nudged him in the side.

“What?” He replied, already knowing what she was asking but dreading the answer.

“C’mon Alec, you know exactly what I mean, you and Magnus, together last night, spill..” Izzy wiggled her eyebrows as she grinned mischievously.

“There’s nothing to tell..” Alec folded his arms and slumped down in his seat trying to ignore the cramped feeling in his legs.

“Uh-huh” Izzy rolled her eyes and, really, he should've known better than hoping his sister would just let it go.

“Seriously, we got Jace to bed, talked and slept. That’s it..” Alec stared straight ahead, dreading making eye contact with her, knowing that Izzy had an almost uncanny ability at reading people.

“Nope.” Izzy stated plainly, accentuating the p. “Listen, I tell you everything…”

“Most of which I don't want to hear.”

“Yeah, doesn't matter. I know there’s more you're not telling me..” Izzy pouted, as Alec stifled a groan.

“There’s really not..” Alec mumbled.

“Then why are you being so damn secretive..” Alec glanced across to see the victorious glint in his sister’s eye.

“Am not..”

“Are too..”

“Iz, what d’you want from me?”

“Fine, you wanna play it that way. Listen, I saw the two of you together and you really expect me to believe that nothing happened. Pfft..” Izzy rolled her eyes.

“What exactly is that supposed to mean?” Alec glared at his sister, getting increasingly irritated by the way the conversation was going. Isabelle Lightwood was nothing if not tenacious when she got an idea in her head, honestly she could teach dogs guarding their bones a trick or two.

“Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that you were pretty much eye fucking each other all night, then you disappear early..”

“With Jace plastered, yeah that’s right out of a romance novel, isn't it?” Alec bit back.

“Whatever. _Then_ you spend the night in his room..” Izzy was nothing if not persistent.

“Suite. Multiple rooms..” Alec grumbled, trying desperately not to think about waking up in the morning, tangled up with Magnus.

“And you want me to believe that you just talked, I mean honestly..” Izzy crossed her arms as well and glared at him.

“I'm sorry that’s not good enough for you, sadly it’s also the truth..” Alec snapped, wishing with all his heart that Izzy didn't know him as well as she undoubtedly did.

“Fine, whatever, play it that way. If that’s what really happened then you're a bigger idiot than I thought..” Izzy huffed.

“Excuse me?” Alec turned to look at Izzy, wondering what the hell she was talking about.

“Jeez Alec, do I have to spell it out for you..Magnus likes you and you like him, all the world think you’re already together…” Izzy shook her head in disbelief.

“That’s ...that’s not…” Alec stuttered. His sister seemed to have a total blind spot when it came to him, there was no way Magnus thought of him like that, or did he? Nope, there was no point in even entertaining the thought. He and Magnus were friends, nothing more, and the sooner he got that clear in his head the easier things would become.

“Oh Alec..you just don't see it, do you..” Izzy patted his arm, her mood seemingly having shifted again.

“Because there’s nothing to see..”

“But there is. Alec there’s a reason everyone ships the pair of you, I mean anyone watching you together last night wouldn't have a doubt in their minds…” Alec tried to interrupt but Izzy just held a hand up to silence him. “And knowing you, I bet the one thing the pair of you didn't talk about was the one thing you really need to..”

“Which is?”

“That the pair of you should be dating for real. Honestly, it’s so obvious..” Izzy said, as if it was beyond comprehension that Alec couldn't see it too.

It was true that ordinarily Izzy was very good at this sort of thing, but there was no way she could be right this time, much as a part of him wanted to believe it. Alec was nothing if not logical, and realistically there was one thought that he kept coming back to, irrespective of whether Magnus had known that he’d been snuggled up to him, he had been aware that he’d been cuddling Alec when he woke up. If Izzy was right, surely he would've said something.

“Hey, what you guys talking about?” Fortunately Alec was spared thinking about things more by Jace waking up.

“Nothing.” He and Izzy chimed in together.

“Yeah, right. Anyway, what’s a guy gotta do to get some food round here..?” Jace grumbled blearily, and Alec felt he could breathe again knowing that Izzy would drop the subject, for now at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I hope you liked that.. feel free to shout at me here or on tumblr ...
> 
> See you next week Tigs xox


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some Alec and Jace brotp feels and Ragnor never can keep quiet...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Monday, another update....
> 
> Thank you all so much for all your lovely, lovely comments....they mean so much to me and honestly it's thanks to all you wonderful people that I'm constantly motivated to write...and of course to the wonderful @LadyMatt the world's greatest beta
> 
> Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter.....

What with the flight and the time difference it was late in the evening by the time they arrived back at the Institute, giving Alec the perfect opportunity to retreat to his room feigning tiredness from the journey.

As soon as he was alone he flopped back on the bed stretching his legs out in front of him and began fiddling with his phone. It was odd really, 48 hours ago he wouldn't have hesitated to message Magnus just to tell him he was back safe, but now, after the events of the morning, he couldn't stop second guessing himself.

Magnus had been apparently perfectly relaxed over breakfast, implying that he hadn't been aware of what had happened, but Alec couldn't help but detect an undertone of tension that he was sure wasn't there before.

Throwing the phone down on the bed, he dragged his hands through his hair. He was being ridiculous, he knew that, but the more and more he thought about it the more confused he was getting.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Alec took a deep breath trying to think logically and not get lost in supposition. Ok, so if the morning hadn't happened he would've texted Magnus, right? Clearly then, if he wanted things to be as normal as possible, that was the right thing to do.

Not giving himself time to overthink, he grabbed the phone and fired off a quick message to tell Magnus they were back safe and wish him a good flight. Fortunately he didn't have time to worry about it because just as he’d finished, someone knocked at the door.

“Yeah..” Alec called out, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice.

“Hey. You busy.?” Jace peered around the door, his expression somewhat sheepish, and Alec let out a breath he wasn't even aware he was holding, glad that it wasn't Izzy coming to give him more grief.

“Nah, come in..” Alec shrugged as Jace walked over, settling himself on the bed next to him, both of them leaning against the headboard.

“So...I guess I wanted to check you were Ok. Izzy was giving you a hard time, so..” Jace looked somewhat awkward, fiddling with the edge of his t-shirt.

“Only a little bit..”

“I figured you didn't wanna talk..” Jace glanced across briefly.

“Not really..Thanks for distracting her..” Alec smiled lopsidedly.

“Yeah well, least I could do..you know?” Jace smiled hesitantly as Alec watched him, left eye slightly narrowed, unsure where his brother was going with this. He didn't have to wait long before Jace continued. “Look, I'm sorry, about last night, I mean..”

“It’s alright..” Alec muttered.

“No it's not…” Jace looked down at his lap again.

“Look, it wasn't that bad..hey, you've done worse..” Alec felt the overwhelming urge to reassure his brother.

“Don't I know it, Jace the fuck up…” Jace muttered.

“No, I didn't mean…” Jace held a hand up to stop him.

“Yeah, you did. Hell, I deserve it…” His brother looked at him and Alec furrowed his brows in confusion.

“Ok fine, so why d’you do it then?” Instead of an answer Jace just shrugged before looking straight ahead. Knowing better than to rush his brother into an answer, Alec mirrored his position and out of the corner of his eye saw Jace running his fingers over a small scar on his left palm.

“D’you remember when we were kids..” Jace looked up at him and Alec nodded for him to continue. “Everyone said we were brothers but I didn't really feel like I belonged..”

“Yeah…” Alec whispered, not wanting to stop his brothers flow of words.

“So I suggested we become blood brothers...like in the shows…”

“You watched way too much tv..”

“Yes but you agreed..” The corners of Jace’s mouth quirked a bit at the memory.

“God, Mom went ballistic.” Alec chuckled slightly, leaning his head back as he remembered how mad Maryse had gotten when she saw the two of them with wounds on their hands.

“Yeah, but at least it got us off training for a week..” Jace grinned.

“And made her give us extra schoolwork..” Alec shook his head.

“Admit it, you enjoyed it..” Jace teased and Alec dipped his head in agreement.

“I've been thinking about it a lot today, you know..” Jace continued seriously.

“Okay..”

“You’re not just my brother you know, you’re my best friend..”

“You too. Look I'm confused, what brought this on...I mean, not that it’s not nice to reminisce and all but…”

“I got jealous..” Jace blurted out.

“I'm sorry..?” Alec furrowed his brow as he tried to follow what Jace was saying.

“You asked why I got so drunk, there it is...I was jealous…” Jace looked away as if unwilling to meet Alec’s eyes.

“I don't follow…”

“It’s dumb, I know. I guess I just always expected you to be there and then…”

“Jace, I'm not going anywhere..” Alec shoulder nudged his brother.

“God, I'm a selfish bastard…” Jace hung his head. “But I've thought about it, and at the end of the day, I want you to be happy so I just gotta say something..”

“Huh?” It felt to Alec as if they were talking about two different things and he was struggling to see what his brother meant.

“Look, I know I always teased you about the whole Magnus thing and well, I guess I always thought if you ever met him he’d be some vapid celebrity type and, he’s not…” Jace looked at him again, eyes scanning over his face for any kind of reaction.

“No, no he’s not..” Alec’s words were barely audible.

“He’s a good guy Alec, and man, I saw how he was looking at you and how you were looking at him and I got scared, and yeah, jealous.” Alec looked at him shocked. “I know you don’t wanna talk about it and I respect that, I really do, but just let me say this and I’ll never mention it again. Damn if someone, anyone, looked at me the way he looks at you, jeez I’d never let ‘em go..”

“What?”

“Alec, god, don't you see it? He looks at you like you hung the moon..don’t deny it..” Which of course was exactly what Alec wanted to do. “And you look at him the exact same way, buddy.”

“Jace..it isn't..” Alec shifted uncomfortably. He was used to his sister trying to meddle in his love life but Jace, no that was something different all together.

“Yes it is…” Jace looked at him with an expression that brooked no argument. “I know you like him..you should tell him..”

“Whoa..no...I…” Alec stuttered, just the thought of telling Magnus filling him with dread.

“Why not?”

Alec opened his mouth to answer but somehow the words wouldn't come.

“Look, I get it, it’s scary...but what’s the worst that could happen..?” The way Jace spoke, he made it sound as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

“Oh I don't know, he never wants to speak to me again, it makes things awkward. Hell, there’s so much that could go wrong, and don't forget we’re still stuck in this stupid situation and Mom..” Alec was scrambling for excuses, the words tumbling out of his mouth.

“Mom what, Alec? What’s she gonna do if it all goes wrong? You could call it all off tomorrow and there's not a damn thing she could do about it..” Jace crossed his arms resolutely and before Alec had a chance to respond, he spoke again. “Maryse needs to remember who the real stars of this Institute are..”

“Yeah well, I wouldn't put it past her to kick me out..” Alec muttered. Jace laughed sardonically.

“I'd like to see her try, she’s not that stupid. D’you know how many trainers would jump at the chance of working with you, let alone adding me and Izzy to the mix as well, ‘cos there’s no way we’d let you go alone...Alec, she needs us way more than we need her..”

Alec closed his eyes for a second letting Jace’s words sink in, wondering how he hadn't thought of it like that before. Maybe because his whole life Maryse had drummed into him that it was up to him to follow orders, be the good little soldier, uphold the family name.

“Ok, so say you’re right..” Alec began.

“Which I am..” Jace interrupted, making Alec roll his eyes.

“What’s that got to do with Magnus?”

Jace pulled his legs up and sat forward hugging his knees close. Turning his head he rested his cheek on his knees and looked at Alec.

“I'm just saying that you don't have to pretend, there’s nothing forcing you..”

“But if…”

“But if what, he doesn't feel the same? Ok, so say he doesn't, which I don't believe, isnt it better to know either way?”

Alec paused for a second. In some ways Jace was right but in others he was completely off the mark. Irrespective, the last few weeks had taught him one thing, and that was how great it was having Magnus in his life and he really wasn't sure he was ready to risk losing that.

“I don't know…” Alec wasn't even aware he’d spoken.

“Ok. Just think about it, Ok….”

“Ok, I will..”

“Good, great.” Jace beamed stretching his legs back out. “But I'm right you know, that man is totally smitten, heck he’s only human and that is the last thing I'm gonna say about it, but if you ever wanna talk, you know where I am….and I'll try and be less of an asshole around Magnus”

“Yeah right..” Alec teased, knowing his brother well enough to realise that once he’d said his piece, he was done with the conversation.

“I said I’ll try…” Jace grinned.

“Better than nothin’ I s’pose..” Alec shrugged, smile playing at the corner of his lips.

“Seriously? Listen buddy, be grateful I'm not threatening him with the shovel talk..” Jace’s eyes danced mischievously and Alec groaned.

“You wouldn't dare…”

“Try me…”

“Jace he’s a grown man, hell, I'm a grown man..” Alec pouted.

“Like that’d stop Iz..” Jace shrugged.

“Jeez, kill me now..” Alec groaned putting his head in his hands.

“Hey chill, you underestimate my powers of distraction…” Jace was back to his normal cocky demeanor, all traces of vulnerability disappeared. “Well unless you don't actually talk to him..”

“Threats? Really?” Alec looked balefully at Jace through his fingers.

“Hey, whatever works…” Tilting his head to one side, Jace grinned before getting up to leave.

“You can go off people you know…” Alec mumbled into his hands.

“Nah...Who could go off all this..” Jace indicated to himself.

“Pretty sure I could manage..” Alec looked up, intending to glare at his brother but being given away by the trace of a smile on his lips.

“Whatever, my work here is done, so..” Jace nodded towards the door.

With a final wink Jace walked out, leaving a shellshocked Alec behind him. With perfect timing his phone buzzed, and grabbing it, he saw a reply from Magnus.

_Glad you’re back and OK. Think of me stuck with Ragnor for 6 hours :-)_   
_I’ll text you when I'm back x_

…………

Ever since Alec had left, Magnus’ day had been packed full of interviews and promo work and sitting in the back of the town car was literally the first chance he’d had to relax so far, not that you could really call it relaxing, what with Ragnor prattling on about god knows what next to him.

Magnus had had years of practice at filtering out what his friend was saying and replying appropriately despite not listening, so whilst Ragnor talked, his mind wandered back to the morning.

Alec had shown no signs that he’d been aware of what had happened, in fact nothing seemed to have changed at all. He should be relieved, so why did he feel the clawing sense of disappointment in his gut?

“Seriously Magnus, if you’re not going to listen could you at least pretend a little better.” Magnus snapped back to attention under Ragnor’s stern gaze.

“I was listening.” He pouted as Ragnor adopted his best schoolteacher look, peering sternly over the top of his reading glasses. “Fine, ok I wasn’t..”

“As I thought. You know, I don't tell you these things for my own benefit..” Ragnor scowled.

“Yes, mother..” Magnus poked his tongue out.

“Have it your way.” With a dramatic huff Ragnor put his tablet to one side and put his glasses back in their case. “So what shall we talk about instead..?”

“Novel idea, let’s not talk about anything..” Magnus muttered.

“Oh I know, let’s talk about the proverbial elephant in the room..” Ragnor had a wicked look in his eyes that Magnus didn't like one little bit.

“Which is?” He replied, trying to appear nonchalant whilst dreading the answer.

“A certain Alec Lightwood.” Ragnor smirked, goddam him, despite Magnus rolling his eyes. “Or rather, the fact that last night went remarkably well and yet you seem to be acting like someone just told you santa isn't real..”

“I have no idea what you mean.” Magnus glanced out the window, knowing it was futile to try and deceive Ragnor, but wanting to try anyway.

“Magnus, let's not eh, there’s a good fellow..” Ragnor shook his head.

“What?”

“Let’s not play that game where you pretend you have no idea what I'm talking about when blatantly you do. Quite frankly, I have neither the time nor the patience for it.” Glancing back, Magnus saw the determined set of his friend’s jaw. He knew that look, the one that said there was no way out of this conversation.

“Fine, let's hear the lecture then..” Magnus muttered under his breath, feeling every inch the errant teenager.

“Oh do stop being so damn petulant. This may have escaped your notice but I do actually care what happens to you, although at the moment I have no bloody idea why.”

“Thanks a lot.” Magnus crossed his arms protectively and slumped down further in his seat.

“I think it is obvious to anyone, with the possible exception of Mr Lightwood and yourself, that the pair of you have feelings for each other and the sooner one of you admits it, the better for everyone. To be honest it’s becoming rather painful to watch and I've only had to endure it briefly, which says rather a lot I feel.” Ragnor continued undeterred.

Despite himself, Magus’ mind flashed back to waking up in Alec’s arms and he had to squeeze his eyes shut tight to try and make it go away.

“What exactly do you suggest? Some heartfelt confession and then everyone lives happily ever after?” Magnus fired back trying to mask his insecurity with anger.

“Well, that would be a fine starting point, don't you think..?” Ragnor replied nonplussed.

“I was being sarcastic. This may have escaped your notice but this is real life and not some stupid Hollywood romcom..” Magnus spat out, frustration and confusion infiltrating every word.

“Au contraire, my friend, I rather think this is starting to resemble one and they were never to my liking. It would appear that we are at the stage where the audience is well aware that the two leads should be together, but due to a lack of communication, the pair of them have a fall out..” Magnus had to admit that perhaps his friend had a point. Dammit, when did his life become so complicated anyway..

Looking back at Ragnor he could see his friend's expression soften slightly.

“You make it sound so easy…” Magnus complained barely audibly.

“And you make it seem so much harder than it need be…”

“Ragnor, we’ve been through this, Alec and I are from two different worlds and even if I wanted…” Magnus began.

“Ah _that_ excuse, of course.” Before Magnus had a chance to interject that it wasn't an excuse, Ragnor continued. “Because that’s what it is, an excuse. You say you’re from different worlds as if it were a bad thing. The way I see it, it’s actually a rather large positive, your record of dating within the field of celebrity is hardly what one would call stellar is it?”

“Thanks a lot.” Ragnor chose to simply ignore him, determined to carry on with his speech.

“And ask yourself this, of all the people closest to you, just how many are involved in said world exactly..”

Magnus had to concede Ragnor made a good argument. Luke, Jocelyn, Clary, Simon and Maia, those were the people he chose to spend time with, not a celebrity amongst them. Even Ragnor and Catarina he’d known for years, long before fame and fortune.

“Okay..” Magnus replied slowly. “So say you’re right.”

Ragnor didn't have to say anything, the smug expression on his face spoke volumes.

“There’s still the small matter of throwing Alec into the middle of all the celebrity gossip whirlwind..” Magnus was starting to run out of arguments and it was beyond frustrating to concede that Ragnor could in fact be correct.

“Well as I see it, he coped rather well last night.” Ragnor shrugged his shoulders, his calm demeanour ever present.

“One night.”

“Yes, indeed.” Ragnor leaned back a little, hands clasped together. “There’s an expression in the UK that rather sums up the situation, I feel. ‘Today’s news is tomorrow’s chip paper!’”

“What does that even mean?”

“Don't be so obtuse Magnus, it means that whatever is in the papers today will be used as wrapping for chips the next day, or..”

“Who wraps chips in newspaper..?” Magnus muttered, earning a stern look from Ragnor.

“Honestly, you take the point, don't pretend to misunderstand. It means that the celebrity news cycle turns so rapidly that whilst your relationship might be of interest for now it won't be long before something far more juicy surpasses it. I think things would go somewhat better for you if you at least admitted the truth.”

“Which is?”

“You’re afraid. Now don't get me wrong, I understand why completely, anyone would with your history, but that’s what it is, history.” Magnus had to look away from Ragnor’s searching gaze. “I am firmly of the opinion that Alec Lightwood would be very good for you, and I think in your heart of hearts, you know that too. He’s not Camille, you know..”

“I do know that..” Magnus protested.

“Then you shouldn't let your fear get in the way of the happiness you deserve..” Again Ragnor replied as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. As if life was really that simple.

“What if you’re wrong?” Magnus looked back at his friend, biting his lip nervously.

“What if I'm not? Would you really throw away the chance of love so easily? Quite frankly, if you do, then all you’re doing is letting Camille win and you, my friend, are far better and braver than that.”The corners of Ragnor’s eyes crinkled slightly as he looked at Magnus kindly.

“Damn you, Ragnor Fell, when did you get so wise.” Magnus smiled weakly back, knowing better than to admit that Ragnor had hit home with his remarks.

“Oh I've always given excellent advice, I think you’ll find. It’s not my fault you're usually too stubborn to listen..” Ragnor waved a hand dramatically and Magnus had to stifle a laugh.

“Fine, Ok. I'll consider it..” Magnus conceded.

“About bloody time…” Ragnor teased goodnaturedly.

As if on cue Magnus’ phone beeped and retrieving it from his pocket he saw a message from Alec telling him he'd got back okay.

“I take it that’s from the man himself.” Ragnor looked at him, an eyebrow raised in amusement. “I can tell by the smile..”

“What no..” Magnus began to protest, only being interrupted by Ragnor’s laughter. “Fine ok, guilty as charged. Look, Ive said I’ll think about it, ok.”

“Well at least it’s a start.” Retrieving his glasses Ragnor reopened his schedule and Magnus relaxed a little before considering how to reply to Alec.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So will they take the advice I wonder....
> 
> I love to hear your thoughts....anything you want to see...


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec tries to focus on his training and Magnus asks Luke for a favour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so here we go for another chapter....I hope you enjoy it, by the way did I mention it's a slow burn fic ;-)
> 
> As always huge thanks for all your support.

By the time Magnus was sitting in the back of the taxi cab at JFK, he was both extremely tired and extremely grumpy. How anyone found it possible to sleep well on a flight he didn't know and the fact that his brain kept drawing him back to thoughts of a certain dark haired gymnast hadn't helped one bit.

Ragnor had been uncharacteristically quiet on the flight, which he would've been grateful for were it not for the fact that he was almost certain it was because the smug bastard was quite aware of how his words had hit their mark and found no need to say more. To make things even worse, he was entirely correct, damn him.

Depending on your point of view, Ragnor's timing was either poor or perfect. Not only was he frighteningly accurate in his observations but he was totally unaware that now Magnus was in the uncomfortable position of knowing exactly what it felt like to wake up curled into Alec and it was a feeling he craved like a drug. There were times when he truly wished his friend didn't know him half as well as he actually did.

“Where to ?” Magnus jolted back to reality to see the cabbie looking at him in the rear view mirror.

Pausing for a second before answering, Magnus realised he had absolutely no desire to be on his own right at this moment despite how tired he was. Giving the cabbie the address, he settled down for the journey.

………..

Alec lay flat on his back and stared at the ceiling of his room. It was still early, even for him, but despite how tired he was, sleep eluded him and worse still, in the brief moments of rest he had, his dreams were filled with Magnus and, quite frankly, they really weren't the kind of dreams you should be having about a friend.

With a huff of frustration he threw back the sheets and padded over to his chest of drawers, grabbing out his training gear. If his feelings for Magnus weren't bad enough before, the last 24 hours had made things significantly harder. Added to that was how Jace’s words kept echoing around his head, giving him the one thing he really couldn't deal with right now, hope.

Maybe his brother was right, he mused as he got dressed, perhaps he should talk to Magnus. Not that it was possible that he could be feeling the same way, but more that he was pretty sure that Magnus would be kind, he’d be understanding and, unless Alec had really misjudged him, he’d do his level best to let him down as gently as possible.

Surely that had to be better than living in this limbo he was stuck in at the moment, a way to force himself to get over things and move on, and yes, maybe come to terms with he and Magnus being just friends.

Mind made up, Alec strode out towards the training room feeling the need to be in control again, if only for a moment, in the way only gymnastics could make him feel.

………..

Magnus paid the cabbie, adding in a healthy tip to try and make up for his monosyllabic ways during the journey. As he walked up to the familiar front door he felt some of the tension falling away and knew he’d made the right decision. Yes, this was exactly where he needed to be right now.

Reaching in his pocket he grabbed his keys, glad that he’d never really got round to removing this particular one from his key ring and quietly let himself in.

Hearing familiar voices down the corridor, he smiled to himself and hurried down to greet everyone.

“Magnus! Oh honey, what are you doing here? You must've just got back.” The instant he stepped into the kitchen Jocelyn dropped everything, almost literally, and came rushing over, pulling him into a bear hug before pulling back and holding him at arm's length, eyes scanning over his face critically. “ You look tired, he looks tired, doesn't he?”

Jocelyn glanced over her shoulder looking for reassurance from Luke who mumbled something incoherent through a mouthful of pancakes.

“I'm fine..” Magnus grumbled as Jocelyn ushered him over to the table, almost forcibly pushing him into a chair.

“Sit. What you need is a good breakfast.” Jocelyn patted his shoulder before hurrying back to the stove.

“Not worth arguing..” Clary giggled.

“Wasnt planning on it, biscuit..” Magnus grinned, knowing this was exactly what he needed right now.

Breakfast at the Garroway-Fray’s hadn't changed one iota since he was sixteen, a family tradition that Jocelyn protected with the fierceness of a lioness protecting her cubs.

It didn't matter what people were up to for the day, she always insisted that the morning was the one time everyone would get together and talk. Even when Magnus had moved out he'd tried to get back as often as he could and Jocelyn alway kept his seat exactly where it always was, just waiting for his return.

The room itself had remained the same despite the passing years, it was still a homely mismatch of modern and rustic, shiny chrome kitchen gadgets jostling for space on the crowded countertops with handmade pots and vintage crockery. The brightly coloured mosaic backsplash was still the same, just as colourful as ever, the occasional broken tile the only indication of it’s age, set off by the pale cream walls. Even the refrigerator was unchanged, although you could barely see the front of it as it was covered with a lifetime of family photos and even some drawings clearly done by a very young Clary, their edges crinkling and yellowing with age.

In the centre of the room a large country kitchen wooden table sat in pride of place, its top littered with scratches and burns, many of which Magnus had added himself but despite the damage Jocelyn refused to have it replaced, claiming that it had character and was just as much a part of the family as everyone else.

Luke sat at one end of the table and Jocelyn took her place at the other, always sitting nearest to the stove so she could easily get up and rustle up more food. If there was one thing Jocelyn loved more than her family it was most certainly cooking. Opposite him Clary sat in her usual spot and next to her Simon was tucking into breakfast, an honorary member of the family for as long as Magnus could remember.

“Hey congratulations on the win, so where’s the surfboard?” Simon looked up, a chunk of pancake hanging precipitously from his fork.

“In my suitcase.” Magnus replied deadpan.

“Really?” Simon looked at him wide eyed, as Clary stifled a laugh.

“No Steven, not really.” Simon pouted disappointed. “So Elaine still not feeding you then?”

“Nah, I'm a growing man…” Simon grinned stuffing more food in his mouth.

“Really Sheldon, second breakfast, what are you, a hobbit?” Magnus sniggered as Simon choked a little on his food and Clary gave him a healthy slap on his back.

“Clary, did you hear that? He made a Lord of the Rings reference. My work here is done..” Simon bounced excitedly.

“Don't get used to it, my dear..” Magnus waved a hand casually just as Jocelyn laid a plate piled high with pancakes and bacon in front of him.

“So, you and Alec then?” Clary waited ‘till Magnus had just put food in his mouth to strike, looking at him with mock innocence that he saw right through. “What? We all saw it.”

“Clary..” Luke warned softly, as Magnus took advantage of eating to ignore the question for now.

“Seriously, you guys are so cute together, please tell me it’s official. Honestly, that and a hobbit reference and this would be quite literally the best breakfast ever…” Simon prattled on happily.

“Haven't you guys got to get to college already?” Jocelyn teased and Magnus glanced across and mouthed thank you.

“Shit yeah, thanks Mrs F.” Simon hastily stuffed the last of his food in before grabbing his bag and standing up. “Clary, if you wanna lift we gotta go now, if I'm late for another lecture my prof is gonna skin me alive.”

Clary glanced between Simon and Magnus before sighing dramatically and standing up.

“Yeah well, don't think this is over..” She pouted throwing her bag over her shoulder.

“I should be so lucky.” Magnus muttered.

“Anyway when do I get to meet him, after all he needs to pass the sister’s seal of approval?” Clary put her hands on her hips and stared at Magnus definitely. Even to this day it still gave him a warm buzz that Clary genuinely thought of him as her brother, not that he thought any different about her.

“Fine, ok. Well I guess you’ll meet him on Saturday, I mean, unless you annoy me so much I revoke your invite to Pandemonium, of course.” Magnus waggled his eyebrows.

“You wouldn't dare..”

“Try me?” Seeing the slightly hurt look on her face, Magnus weakened a little. “Of course I wouldn't, but hey, do me a favour and at least try and get your id sorted, the ones you have are truly terrible.”

“Yeah but it’s ok, my brother owns the place.” Clary grinned back.

“And doesn't want to lose his licence..”

“And I don't want to hear anymore about this..” Luke grumbled, placing his police badge pointedly on the table.

“About what? I have no idea what we were just talking about..” Magnus batted his eyelashes innocently, as Luke nodded approvingly.

“Honestly.” Clary rolled her eyes before moving over to give Magnus a hug. “See you Saturday…”

“It's a date..” Magnus smiled.

Just as Clary was leaving the room Magnus couldn't help winding her up a little, his own little bit of payback.

“Oh and Clary, just so you know, in all likelihood Jace’ll be there as well.” Clary froze on the spot for a second and Magnus sniggered to himself.

“You mean Jace Lightwood.” Clary span round eyes wide.

“The very same..”

“Oh god.. Simon we have to go shopping after college, I have to look amazing..” Clary turned excitedly to her friend.

“Ah c’mon…” Simon moaned dramatically, clearly not even slightly enamoured at the thought of being dragged around the shops by an overexcited redhead .

“Oh, and Isabelle too..”

“I don't suppose i have much of a choice, it’s not like you’d let me get out of it..” Simon added a little too hastily. Magnus had to stuff his face with pancakes to not laugh out loud, clearly it wasn't just him that the Lightwoods had an effect on.

“Not a chance..” Clary grabbed Simon’s arm and pulled him out of the room and Magnus shook his head fondly as the sound of the pair of them planning faded gently as they walked down the corridor.

“You know that’s all they’ll be talking about all week now..” Jocelyn chided gently.

“That was the plan.” Magnus smiled back.

“So how was LA?” Jocelyn asked, trying her best to sound casual although Magnus could detect the undertone of concern.

“It was good, but you know how it is, after all that celebrity fakery it’s nice to get back to the real world.” Magnus waved a fork around casually.

“And get a proper breakfast.” Luke smiled at his wife.

“Well, whatever the reason, you know it’s always lovely to see you.” Jocelyn leant across and patted Magnus’ hand. “Sadly I’ll have to run off soon, I've got a class to teach in an hour. I'm sure Luke can keep you company.”

“Late shift.” Luke answered when Magnus looked at him confused.

“Actually, that works out well. I sort of wanted to ask you a favour.” Magnus shifted his food around the plate awkwardly.

“Well that sounds intriguing, Luke you’ll have to tell me all about it when I get home, and make sure you load the dishwasher.” Jocelyn seemed to have an uncanny knack of recognising when it was time to make herself scarce, clearly noticing Magnus’ discomfort.

“Yes ma’am.” Luke saluted back.

………..

Despite the early start, Alec was largely unsurprised to find Hodge already setting up equipment for the day. If he didn't know better he’d swear that he was somehow cursed to never leave the Institute walls.

“Alec, you’re up early.” Hodge observed as he continued to pull out mats and check the chalk bins.

“Uh, well you know I missed a few days training, so I wanted to get back on track.” Alec shifted a little uncomfortably, hoping that Hodge hadn't picked up on his restless mood.

“Great, ok then, give me a second and we’ll make a start. What d’you want to concentrate on today, I'm thinking parallel bars or maybe we could have another look at the pommel,” Hodge replied, apparently oblivious to any undertones.

“Bars sounds good..”

“Ok then. But we’ll have to get back to pommel at some point though..” Hodge shook his head and the smile freezing on his face as he watched Alec’s expression closely. “Problem?”

“No, not at all.” Alec shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. Hodge was a great trainer, one of the best and the last thing he wanted to do was offend him by mentioning the possibility of Luke coming to visit. At the same time, no gymnast in their right mind would miss out on the opportunity of a one on one with _the_ Luke Garroway, that is if Magnus even remembered that he’d offered to try and sort it out.

Hodge paused and looked at him, one eyebrow raised.

“Look you know I think you’re an amazing coach, it’s just..” Alec stopped for a second, not sure what to say next before deciding that it was probably best just to stick to the truth. “Ok, so Magnus said he may be able to persuade Luke Garroway to come in and help with the pommel and I mean, he may not even remember but it’s such a great opportunity and let's be honest, I need all the help I can get…”

“Alec, relax.” Hodge grinned at him, apparently more excited by the idea than him, and to say Alec was relieved was an understatement. “I think that sounds a great idea. I haven't seen Luke for years and it’d be great to catch up. I didn't even know Magnus knew him..”

“Yeah, Luke and Jocelyn fostered him when he was younger, so..”

“Small world. Well I won't be offended as long as you make sure I'm there as well.” Hodge threw some hand guards at Alec which he caught easily. “Although you may want to make sure your mother’s not around...long story..”

“Ok, thanks for the tip. So..” Alec nodded, wondering idly what could have happened between his mother and Luke whilst, at the same time, not being even slightly surprised.

“So parallel bars it is … unless you want to practice so you can show Luke what a Lightwood can do..” Hodge teased lightly.

“Thanks, I'm good..” Alec smiled sheepishly.

“That bad..” Hodge shook his head fondly. “I can't help feeling poor Luke’s gonna have his work cut out with you. Man, he always loved the horse too..”

Alec was still smiling to himself as the pair walked towards the equipment. Yep, Luke Garroway would have a job convincing him about his favourite event, but honestly, if he was even slightly like Magnus, it wouldn't surprise him if he managed to do just that.

………..

“So, what’s the favour then?” Luke had helped himself to more coffee and somehow had managed to find a packet of jerky that Jocelyn had clearly hidden in a cupboard. Magnus raised an eyebrow in amusement as he tore into the packet. “What? It’s never too early for teriyaki. Anyway, stop distracting, shoot.”

Magnus fidgeted a little, in all the years he’d known Luke he’d never shown any inclination to get involved in his old sport before, but at the same time he was obsessive about watching it, so maybe, it was just that he’d never been asked before.

Luke watched him, placidly chewing his jerky before washing it down with a slurp of coffee.

“Ok, so feel free to say no..” Magnus started, tapping his fingers lightly together. It didn't matter how much he pretended, he really, really wanted to help Alec out and he had pretty much everything crossed that Luke would agree.

“Don't worry, if I don't want to do it, I will..” Luke grinned back, eyes twinkling.

“It's a funny story really.” Magnus began and this time it was Luke's eyebrow that was raised in an unspoken question. “Well, not funny haha, I guess more strange coincidence and good god why am I blithering..”

“Just ask Magnus” Luke chuckled softly.

“You're right. Ok, so I was talking to Alec about how his training was going and well, it appears that not everyone loves the pommel as much as you and I may have suggested that I could see if you could give him any tips..”

“Sounds fun.”

“I mean, if that'd be alright with you. I know you haven't been involved in years and if you don't want to I'd completely understand and I know Alec would too...hang on, what did you just say?” Magnus had been so concerned with persuading Luke that he’d completely missed what he’d said.

“Relax, I said it sounded fun.” Luke replied, doing a pretty poor job of concealing his amusement.

“You’ll do it? That’s...well, that’s amazing of you and I know Alec will be so excited, he’s a huge fan from what I can tell.” Relief flowed through him. It felt good, no, great to do something nice for Alec. Even in the short time he’d known him, it had become frighteningly obvious that Alec spent pretty much all of his time looking out for everyone else, and for once, he’d have someone do something to help him out.

“Actually, I’m looking forward to it. Not gonna lie, I'm intrigued to meet him, especially as he’s got you all smitten..” Magnus began to protest but Luke stopped him, small smile playing at his lips. “Magnus, I've known you a long time so don't even try and pretend with me.”

Magnus puffed out a frustrated huff of air and shook his head, not able to find the words. For some reason he’d always found it impossible to lie to Luke and today, it seemed, was no exception.

“Hey, if it’s any consolation, from what I could tell from watching the pair of you, the feeling’s entirely mutual.” Luke’s smile faded as he saw the frown on Magnus’ face. “I think maybe you ought to tell me what’s going on with you..”

Luke grabbed his mug and took another mouthful of coffee, his eyes never leaving Magnus’.

“I'm fine..” Magnus mumbled, unwilling to go over the same old ground with yet another person. Luke shrugged and leaned back in his chair, helping himself to more jerky while he quietly watched him. It was a classic Luke move, sit back and wait patiently until the silence got too much and Magnus gave up and blurted out the truth, and quite frankly, he knew enough to know this was a battle he wasn't going to win.

Giving in to the inevitable, Magnus found himself just spilling out everything, his concerns over their different backgrounds, how they seemed to just click whenever they were together and even the cuddling disaster of the previous morning. Luke watched carefully, not saying a word, his face an inscrutable mask.

“So go on then, give me the lecture, pretty much everyone else has.” Magnus slumped down in his chair, crossing his arms defensively.

“Nope.” Luke replied calmly.

“What?”

“Magnus, you're a smart man. I’d say you already know exactly what you need to do..” Luke shrugged.

“Finally, someone who's sees things my way..thank you..”

“Now I didn't say that, did I..” Luke’s eyes crinkled in amusement at the confused look on Magnus face. “I just meant you take as much time as you want to get over your fears, and then, do the right thing. Just, you know, don't take too long about it..”

Magnus opened his mouth to speak but couldn't find the words.

“Tell you what, I’ll tell you what I think about him when I meet him. Not to blow my own trumpet but I'm an excellent judge of character, you know.” Luke winked before standing up to take his now empty mug to the dishwasher.

“Of course you will, everyone else has… wouldn't want to be the only one to not give me grief…” Magnus muttered under his breath.

“I heard that..” Luke chuckled as he turned back.

“You don't think the reason everyone keeps saying the same thing is maybe a sign that you're in denial?” Luke patted him on the shoulder as he passed by before settling back in his chair. “Just putting it out there..”

Magnus tried to maintain his disgruntled pout, he really did, but when faced with Luke's twinkling smile it was an impossible task.

“I suppose it's possible…” Magnus conceded but not without a rather dramatic eye roll, the effect of which was somewhat ruined by the slight smile on his face.

“Hey, it's a start.” Luke shrugged.

“Why does everyone keep saying that..” Magnus muttered under his breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so things are moving forwards I promise...I'm hoping to get the next chapter out on time but honestly life has been kicking me in the butt recently so please forgive me if it's a bit late.
> 
> In other news, this week has been epic to put it mildly. Not only has work been crazy but I also discovered that there are people out there reposting fics from writers I greatly admire without credit. There's been a lot of identifying stolen fics and associated stress. 
> 
> One good thing that did come out of it was seeing some wonderful fandom peeps banding together and supporting each other. A new tumblr page was started @teamfandomunited so if any of you see a fic that's been reposted without credit just pop in there and tell us..
> 
> Anyway rant over...I really hope you enjoyed that chapter even though it was malec free (I'm so sorry @LadyMatt)...I promise our boys will be together again soon xox


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec and Magnus are about to meet up again...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yay I made it...huge thanks to my beta @ladymatt for ironing out the kinks super fast....I guess this chapter is sort of setting up future events so I hope it's ok for you guys...

Alec moved the food around his plate with a fork and tried his hardest to ignore the butterflies in his stomach which were making it almost impossible to eat. It’d been six days since he’d last seen Magnus and this afternoon he was due to come to the Institute.

It wasn't as if he hadn't spoken to him since, quite the contrary, there hadn't been a day that’d gone by without, at the very least, a text conversation or more likely a phonecall at the end of the day. They’d talked about everything and anything, what they'd been doing, how their day had been and even random silly stories but somehow both of them had been too busy to meet up, or at least that's what he convinced himself. If he was being totally honest, the truth was that he knew that sooner or later he'd have to tell Magnus what he was feeling and he just wanted to hold on to their friendship for as long as he could before potentially souring it.

Despite all his worries, there was no denying that Alec had been ecstatic when Magnus had called to tell him that Luke had agreed to come and help him with his training. What had made it even better was that Magnus had called after his mother had informed him that she and his father would be away for the weekend as they were travelling to pick up Max, his youngest brother, from his exchange programme and using to the time to simultaneously scout for future talent.

It’d seemed so perfect, with his parents away, Magnus and Luke could come to the Institute without any potential awkwardness and it would give Alec the opportunity to see Magnus face to face before meeting up with him in Pandemonium that night, as arranged.

All week Alec had thrown himself into training, his ‘go to’ solution when things got too complicated, but now with Magnus due to arrive in a few short hours, he’d have to face up to what he’d been hiding from all week. There was no denying it, the more he spoke to Magnus the harder he was falling for him.

“Hey big brother...food done something to offend you?” Izzy teased as she put her tray down on the table next to him.

“No.” Alec frowned at the plate.

“Oh, I get it…” Alec looked up to see his sister grinning at him and had to fight the urge to roll his eyes.

“There’s nothing to get..” he grumbled.

“Yeah right. Alec it's ok to be nervous, hey, I bet you any money Magnus is just as anxious to see you too…” She winked before stuffing a large forkful of salad into her mouth.

“What? No, that’s not…” Alec began to protest only to be stopped by Izzy waving her fork around to stop him whilst she finished chewing.

“Sure it is. You forget, you can't lie to me..” She replied in a sing song voice before turning more serious when she saw the expression on his face. “Seriously Alec, it's gonna be fine.”

Alec shook his head not really knowing how to respond. Whilst he had no doubt that Magnus would be no different to normal, he couldn't help but feel anxious that with Jace’s words still swimming around his head he’d end up doing something stupid and making things awkward between them.

“Alec, it is. Seriously, just relax. In any case, Luke Garroway will be here as well so if it gets too bad you can just talk gymnastics, right?”

“I guess..” Alec replied uncertainly.

“And hey, Jace and I’ll be there as back up..”

“Yeah, that’s what I'm afraid of..” he muttered.

“Mean.” Izzy poked her tongue out and seemed satisfied when she saw him break into a small smile. “Just try not to overthink things.”

Alec just nodded and started on his food, determined to try and force something down.

…………

Magnus was a nervous wreck, which in itself was ridiculous because he never got nervous, not really, but for some reason Alexander Lightwood seemed to tease out every insecurity he had.

Pausing for a second he tried to calm his thoughts whilst simultaneously ignoring the mountain of clothes thrown haphazardly on his bed. Ordinarily, choosing what to wear was a relatively simple task but he couldn't even seem to get that right today. I mean, what do you wear to watch your fake boyfriend train anyway?

The sound of his phone ringing was enough to distract him for now and glancing down the caller id showed it was Cat calling.

“Darling, hello. What can I do for you?” Magnus answered more enthusiastically than usual, glad of something to stop him overthinking things.

_“Hmm”_ Catarina paused for a second obviously having noticed. _“So I was just calling to sort out plans for this evening.”_

“Sounds perfect, fire away.” Magnus walked out to the kitchen to make himself a coffee. Normally, dealing with the minutiae of the filming schedule was enough to drive him to drink but for once, dealing with something that mundane seemed the perfect solution to his current mood.

_“Ok, who is this and what've you done with Magnus?”_

“I have no idea what you mean, darling. You know I'm always invested in making sure everything runs smoothly.” Magnus rolled his eyes hearing Catarina laughing on the other end of the line. He really should've known better than to try and lie to one of his oldest friends.

_“Now I know there’s something up. Look we can do this another time, if you like..”_

“No, no, now’s perfect.” Magnus switched on the coffee machine and grabbed a mug, trying to ignore the fact that his voice had gone up in pitch with his desperation.

_“Magnus Bane, I’ve known you far too many years and I damn well know when something's up with you. So either you tell me what’s the matter or I'm going to come round there and see for myself.”_

Magnus rolled his eyes knowing that Cat would do exactly that if he pushed things too far but what exactly was he supposed to say? Sorry dear, I'm just nervous and simultaneously excited about seeing my fake boyfriend again who, funny story, I seem to have developed a huge crush on. No, it was bad enough having Ragnor on his case without Cat too.

_“It's the Camille thing, isn't it?”_ Cat continued without waiting for an answer.

“I'm sorry, what Camille thing?” Magnus had literally no idea what she was talking about, unless of course she meant the run in they’d had at the Teen Choice Awards, but surely she didn't know about that?

_“You mean you don't know?”_

“Know what?” Magnus grabbed his mug of coffee, seriously considering adding something stronger to it, having the distinct impression that he’d need it.

_“I honestly wouldn't worry about it. You know what she’s like..”_

“Catarina Loss, you’d better tell me what that woman's been up to right now..” Magnus snapped.

_“Fine, but like I said, I really wouldn't let it get to you, it’s something and nothing”_

“Yes well, I’ll be the judge of that, thank you all the same…” Magnus huffed.

Magnus heard Catarina sigh in resignation on the other end of the line before launching into an explanation of how Camille had apparently spent the last few days working her way through the press circuit in her own inimitable way and taken every opportunity to throw shade on his and Alec’s relationship. Not that she'd said anything in so many words, Camille was way too clever for that, it was more what she’d implied and the way she’d played it, like she was just concerned for Magnus.

The long and short of it was she’d none so subtly implied that whilst Magnus’ new relationship certainly seemed sweet, she was worried that in the end it would be difficult for him to cope with how the pair of them seemed to be holding back. That Magnus was a passionate person and she hoped one day that he’d find someone who be as comfortable as him with public displays of affection. That she was worried that Alec was too aloof and wouldn't be good for him in the long run.

“How dare she? You know I shouldn't even surprised, god knows there are literally no depths that woman won't go to to get her petty little revenge” As Cat had continued talking, Magnus could feel his anger bubbling to the surface and now, pacing around the loft waving his arms around dramatically, it all erupted.

_“Magnus, please calm down..”_ Cat pleaded.

“I will do no such thing. This is too much, she's gone too far and I won't have it.” Magnus poured himself a whiskey and resumed his pacing. How could he have not seen this coming? There was no way Camille was going to just let it lie, not after what had happened, but this? Seriously, were there no lengths that woman wouldn't go to for some free publicity.

_“I understand that but..”_

“It’s bad enough I let her play her silly little mind games with me for as long as I did but I will not let her drag Alec into this.” Magnus was gesticulating so widely his drink was spilling over the sides of his glass.

“ _Magnus…”_

“This is just like her. She maybe the kind of person who drags her latest conquest round like some sort of status symbol but I most definitely am not.”

_“I know…”_

“Hell, she did it to me for years. I don't know how I could've been so stupid, all that time I thought it was because she actually loved me, but no, it was just good publicity for her…”

_“Yes but..”_

“No buts, Alec may well have been forced into this but I will do everything I can to protect him.” Magnus paused for a second and downed what was left of his drink.

_“As I've been trying to tell you, just ignore her..”_

“So to keep her off my back I should what ? Be constantly pawing over Alec, making him feel uncomfortable, parading the man I love around like some sort of trophy…”

Magnus froze as he realised what he'd just blurted out. True, he was angry and when you were angry you tended to blurt out things without thinking, but none the less, could he honestly say it wasn't true. One thing he knew about himself was that he had a tendency to fall hard and fast and there was little doubt in his mind, if he was truly honest with himself, that he was well on the way to falling for Alec, if not there already.

“ _MAGNUS_!” Cat shouting down the phone drew his attention back to the conversation.

“Yes, sorry, miles away..” Magnus apologised, all the previous anger falling away.

_“You're in love with Alec..”_ In typical Cat fashion she got straight to the point, framing the question as a statement of fact.

“I..I think it’s possible, yes.” Magnus conceded, examining his fingernails closely.

_“Then you need to tell him.”_ Cat’s reply was suitably no nonsense.

“I know…” Magnus replied softly.

…………..

Somehow Alec had managed to make it through lunch without having an aneurism from his mounting nerves. He’d even survived a lecture from his mother on how, whilst she was away, the Institute was his responsibility and should there be any issues she would be very disappointed in him.

Hodge had given him strict instructions to take a break knowing that his head wasn't in the game, although he hoped his trainer thought it was more to do with the impending arrival of Luke rather than anything else. As he result he’d taken to hiding in one of the lesser known corridors of the Institute, sipping anxiously at an energy drink whilst trying not to incessantly reread the text Magnus had sent him ten minutes earlier informing him he was on his way.

“There you are, bro..” Alec practically jumped out of his skin as Jace spoke. Naturally his brother had found him and in retrospect it probably wasn't his brightest idea to hide where he and Jace had hidden out as teenagers trying to duck out of training.

“Yeah” Glancing to his side he saw Jace sit down next to him.

“So why’re you hiding?”

“”M not.” Alec mumbled.

“Sure you are. If this is what I said about Magnus, well just forget I ever said anything. Hey, you know me, what do I know, right?” Jace shoulder bumped him.

“Don't do that..” Alec stared at the ground.

“Huh?”

“Pretend you were wrong when you obviously weren't, well about me anyway.” Alec began picking imaginary lint off his training pants.

“So what if I was. Look Alec, it doesn't have to change anything and…”

“Yeah it does.” Alec interrupted turning to look Jace straight in the eye. “I can't lie to him Jace, I just can't..”

“So…”

“I have to tell him the truth..”

“Okay, and?” Jace crinkled his brow in confusion.

“Well, what if I ruin everything?”

“Yeah and what if he feels the same?” Jace shrugged.

It couldn't be that simple, could it? For what felt like the millionth time Alec squashed down the tiny glimmer of hope.

“So when’re you gonna tell him?” Jace continued.

“I don’t honestly know.”

“Ok, so why’re you worrying about it now? I mean, you can hardly have a deep and meaningful when he’s bringing Luke here, so if I were you I’d get the most out of this training session and leave the worries for later, yeah?” Jace grinned.

“Yeah, you're right.” Alec straightened his back. It wasn't everyday you got to meet a legend in your sport and he was damned if he was going to screw it up.

“Seriously buddy, this is getting to be a habit. You know, me being right and all…” Jace got to his feet looking very pleased with himself.

“Uh huh, in that case explain to me why _I_ had to put up with a lecture from Mom this morning about how I had to make sure there wasn't a repeat of your behaviour at the Teen Choice tonight at Pandemonium.”

Jace just looked at him horror struck, for once lost for words, which Alec found deeply satisfying.

“Oh yes, apparently your artistic temperament makes you too impulsive and it’s my responsibility to keep you in line.”

“Honestly.” Jace scowled deep in thought. It wasn't long though before he broke into a grin again.

“You know what, artistic temperament. I can live with that..” he smirked.

“ _That’s_ what you take from it..” Alec rolled his eyes.

“Hey you gotta take compliments when you get ‘em. You could learn a lot from me.” Alec groaned as he got to his feet.

“You’re impossible.”

“Artistic type, remember.” Jace indicated himself with his thumbs.

“Oh god, you’re not gonna let that go, are you?” Alec grumbled.

“Not a chance. Anyway, let's get you ready to wow your man. Magnus is gonna flip when he sees you work that high bar. You know I actually feel for the guy, there’s no way he’ll be able to resist you after that.”

………..

Magnus was practically vibrating with anticipation by the time they arrived at the Institute. Fortunately for him Luke wasn't the kind of person who would tease him about it but there was no way he hadn't noticed.

The Institute door had never looked more intimidating and he was surprised he hadn't noticed how imposing the building looked the first time he was here. Everything still looked exactly the same as he stepped into the foyer and pushed the intercom to announce his arrival.

As soon as the inner doors swung open his eyes were instantly drawn to Alec and any doubt about his feelings for the man instantly disappeared as everyone else seemed to blur into the background when faced with Alec’s shy smile.

It was only the sound of Luke softly clearing his throat that managed to break the spell, and taking a deep breath, he tried to regain control of his racing heart.

“Oh, now where are my manners. Alexander Lightwood meet Luke Garroway.” Magnus spoke with more assurance than he felt and indicated Luke with a dramatic flourish, taking great pleasure in seeing Alec blush a little as his smile broadened.

“Hey, what am I, Swiss cheese?” Jace pouted.

“And of course, Jace Lightwood as well.” Magnus added as an afterthought, having only just realised the blonde was present as well.

Alec walked forward, back rigidly straight and Magnus couldn't help but aim a reassuring smile in his direction, knowing him well enough to almost feel his nerves.

“It’s an honour to meet you, Sir.” Alec proffered a hand.

“Just Luke’s fine. I'm not that old, you know.” Luke grabbed Alec’s hand with a grin and shook it firmly. “It’s good to meet you Alec, and I have to tell you, I'm a massive fan, of you too Jace.”

Magnus practically melted when he saw Alec’s proud smile.

“But I did here a vicious rumour.” Luke paused, eyes twinkling mischievously. “Magnus here tells me you don't like the pommel but hey, that can't be right, can it?”

“Well…” Alec smiled hesitantly, not knowing Luke well enough to be really sure if he was joking.

“Oh my god, it's worse than I thought. Seems like I've got my work cut out.” Luke pushed up the sleeves on his sweater pointedly. “By the end of today I'm gonna convince you that it's the best event.”

“Good luck with that…” Jace muttered.

“Hey! I'm gonna let that slide seeing as we've just met.” Luke winked at Jace before walking up to Alec and clapping him on the shoulder. “I haven't got a clue what's going on at this Institute but really, high bar and floor, seriously it's a world gone mad.”

Alec laughed softly and Magnus could see his shoulders visibly relax when faced with Luke’s calm and friendly demeanour.

“Excuse you but I only came along because I wanted a sneak preview of Alexander's bar routine. Izzy told me it was ‘epic’, her words not mine, and I've been looking forward to it all week.” Magnus complained.

“You have?” Alec flushed a little as he spoke and Magnus felt the now all too familiar flutter in his stomach.

“Of course.” Magnus winked.

Before Alec had a chance to reply his trainer appeared round the corner and breaking into a huge grin, came striding purposefully towards the group.

“Luke Garroway, there was me thinking we'd seen the last of you round here.”

“Hey, you should know me better than that Hodge. You don't get rid of me that easily.” Luke met him midway and bundled him into a bear hug before pulling back. “But seriously, what have you been teaching these guys?”

The two men fell into a pattern of easy banter only found in old friends and soon Hodge was leading them all down towards the training room.

Before following them Alec laid a hand on Magnus forearm and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself letting out a contented sigh at such a small gesture. He really needed to get a grip.

“Magnus, I…thank you so much for arranging this. I know it's silly but you've no idea how much it means to me.” Alec looked at him with an intensity that made his knees weak.

“Darling it's my pleasure, really.” Magnus smiled back trying his very best not to just give in and drown in the hazel eyes looking back at him. “And it's not silly, not in the slightest.”

As he watched Alec’s serious expression, it struck Magnus just how much this meant to him and with it came the realisation that he had to put aside what he was feeling, at least for now. It was true that he needed to talk to Alec but equally, well, this was not the right time, not yet and this at least was something he could give him.

“Well then, shall we?” Magus nodded toward Luke and Hodge.

“Yeah, let's do that.” Alec smiled as they began walking down the corridor.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...was that OK???
> 
> next time there'll be more of Laec and Luke which I hope you'll enjoy and obviously Magnus being a smitten kitten...
> 
> See you next time lovelies xox


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Magnus visits the institute with Luke

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So......another chapter for you...just really Luke and Alec hanging out but there maybe a bit of Malec who knows ;-)

Despite having just met him, Alec liked Luke immensely already. There was something strangely reassuring about having him around, which was exactly what he needed.

He and Magnus had chatted away on the walk to the training room but for some reason Alec had felt a weird kind of tension between them that hadn't been there since their very first meeting. It felt like a step backwards somehow and the worst part was he knew it was most likely his own fault.

“Sorry Magnus, I'm gonna steal this one away.” Luke nodded towards Alec once they were in the training room.

“Oh no, you mean I have to stand back and watch Alec in action, however will I cope?” Magnus winked at him and Alec shook his head fondly.

It was, to be fair, somewhat of a relief when Luke pulled him away from Magnus so they could begin to train. At least with gymnastics he felt on solid ground, that he knew what he was doing.

Fortunately Izzy chose that moment to appear and bounded up to Magnus, pulling him into a hug and chattering away animatedly, so at least he didn't have to worry about him being bored.

“Hey, old girl…” Luke muttered beside him and Alec dragged his attention away from Magnus to see him stroke the pommel like a beloved pet.

“You really love it, don't you?” Alec looked at Luke, one eye slightly narrowed.

“Trust me on this one, the thing with the horse is when you get her, I mean really understand her, you can't help but love her.” Luke grinned.

“I’ll take your word for it.” Alec muttered skeptically, making Luke chuckle.

“Ah give me time and you’ll see what I mean, you too Jace.” Luke glanced over his shoulder to where Jace was watching carefully.

“Nah, I'm good, cheers..” He shrugged.

“Goddamit, I've really got my work cut out with you two.” Luke shrugged, the smile never leaving his lips. “Right, so Alec, why don't you show me what you've got so far?”

Alec just nodded, trying to focus his attention on the apparatus in front of him, tuning out the sight of his sister and Magnus chatting, Hodge leaning against the vault and Luke watching him closely.

Stepping into position, Alec took a deep breath as he focused on his routine, running it through in his head before he began.

Furrowing his brow in concentration he began, his mind running through the sequence of flairs, moores and spindles as he travelled up and down the leather body of the horse before finally pushing up into a handstand for his dismount.

Pausing for a second as he landed, Alec sighed in relief, glad that it was over without making any errors that would’ve been more than a little embarrassing in front of Luke.

Behind him he heard enthusiastic applause and turning round he saw Magnus beaming at him whilst beside him his sister mouthed ‘good job’.

“You know for someone who says he hates the pommel that was a pretty good routine.” Luke grinned as he joined him.

“Thanks.” Alec smiled shyly.

“How’d it feel?”

“Umm Ok, I guess.” Alec shifted awkwardly from foot to foot under Luke’s careful gaze, worried about what he’d say.

“Yep, that’s what I thought.” Luke just smiled as Alec raised a questioning eyebrow. “So, honest opinion?”

Alec nodded chewing his lip nervously.

“Right, so technically that was perfect, not a thing wrong..” Luke began. “You know it could be brilliant.”

Alec shook his head in disbelief.

“I'm serious Alec, it really could. Ok, so here’s how I see it, all the building blocks are there, it’s just lacking in flow. It’s like you're counting the moves out all the time in your head rather than feeling them and enjoying it and it shows.” Luke laughed, seeing the look on Alec’s face. “Which is exactly what you’re doing, isn’t it?”

“Yeah” Alec smiled sheepishly.

“Ok, so let me show you what I mean.” Luke stepped almost reverentially towards the horse before pausing to look back at Alec. “Oh and give me some slack yeah, it’s been a while.”

Alec practically held his breath as Luke positioned himself by the horse.

“So ok, this is what you’re doing.”

Luke launched into a perfect set of flairs but there was no mistaking the slight hesitation between the set of movements.

“Where you need to get to is here.” Luke shouted out before continuing.

Despite the fact that the moves were pretty basic, there was no mistaking the difference as Luke’s body flowed through the sequence. It looked so effortless and perfect it took Alec’s breath away.

“Wow.” Alec gasped as Luke dismounted. “That was incredible!”

“It really wasn't, but thanks anyway.” Luke shrugged as he joined him. “You just need to relax, trust your body and just go with the flow.”

“Yeah I know that, it's just…” Alec rubbed his forearm anxiously.

“Tell you what, do me a favour. You up for bar?” Luke asked and Alec couldn't help but grin.

“Yeah, I can do that..”

“Well good, I'm not sure if Magnus would ever forgive me if he didn't see that..” Luke winked as Alec blushed.

Alec readied himself and as soon as Hodge lifted him into position he felt everything fall away. It was always the way with high bar, as soon as he begun it felt like he was flying, soaring away from all his troubles, his body instinctively doing what he wanted. This time he landed his dismount without even a stumble and as he held his position he felt the familiar warm glow he always got after his favourite discipline.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I think we can safely say that was a preview of the gold medal routine.” Luke chuckled, and as Alec came back to reality, he saw Magnus standing with his lips parted in wonder. “Seriously great job, Alec.”

Luke stepped forward to talk to him.

“I take it that felt a little different?” He teased lightly.

“You could say that.” Alec shrugged, finding it impossible to not smile.

“And it shows. Look, I'm not saying you have to feel the same about the pommel as you obviously do about the bar but if you could just let go a little, I promise you, it’d make all the difference.” Alec furrowed his brow as Luke spoke. “Problem?”

“No..I…” Alec struggled to find the words to express what he was feeling. All his life his mother, and to a lesser extent his father, had drummed into him that the key to success was control and discipline and now it seemed that Luke was saying the exact opposite. “I guess it’s just I’ve always been told that I need to be precise and accurate and …”

“I'm telling you practically the opposite..” Luke grinned.

“Honestly, yeah..it's such a different approach.” Alec admitted.

“I know, I get that. Look, what you've been taught, it's not wrong and if you want to be good it's absolutely right but if you wanna be great you need that extra spark. You have it on the bar, no doubt, and with other apparatus it doesn't show as much but the pommel, well she’s something else. Sometimes in life you just need to let go a little and trust your instincts.” Luke glanced over Alec’s shoulder to where Magnus was standing and smiled softly. “Actually that’s pretty good advice in general, not just for gymnastics.”

Alec laughed softly.

“You know you and Magnus are a lot alike in that regard, no wonder you get on so well.” Luke whispered conspiratorially.

“I dont..” Alec glanced in confusion back to where Magnus was talking with his sister, arms gesticulating excitedly.

“I like you Alec and I’d say I'm a pretty good judge of character, and this is the one thing I’ll say on the matter, but Magnus, he’s had a tough time..”

“Yeah, he told me..” Alec muttered.

“Did he now?” Luke raised his eyebrows in surprise. “He really doesn't tell many people, you know.”

Alec wasn't really sure how to respond to that, fortunately Luke carried on talking.

“I have an idea but first a question.”

“Ok?” Alec looked at him puzzled again.

“Tell me what else you do to train?”

“Um, weights, cardio, you know, the usual..” Alec wasn't really sure where Luke was going with this.

“Right, so what we need to do is find a way to incorporate balance and flow into your routine and I know just the way to do it.” Luke's eyes danced mischievously which only served to make Alec nervous. “Magnus, can you come over here a second?”

As Alec watched, Magnus looked up somewhat surprised before making his way over.

“What are you up to Luke Garroway?” Magnus laughed as he joined them.

“Do you remember when you were younger and I taught you t’ai chi? You still do it, right?”

“Yes, why..?” Magnus looked at Luke skeptically.

“Because that would be just the thing to add in to Alec’s training and I’m pretty sure you’d be the perfect teacher for him.” Luke grinned as he looked between Alec and Magnus.

“But Magnus is so busy, I couldn't ask him to…” Alec began to protest.

“You think it would help?” Magnus scrunched his brows as he looked at Luke.

“I know it would.” Luke crossed his arms resolutely.

“Then I'm at your service.” Magnus turned to look at Alec and as their eyes met Alec felt his heart race. “If it’s ok with you, of course.”

“Umm, ok yeah..I mean, if you don't mind…” Alec ran his fingers through his hair anxiously. It was lovely of Magnus to offer but he couldn't help but worry if he would be as keen when he knew what was going on in Alec’s head.

“Darling, it would be my pleasure.” Magnus beamed. “Although personally I thought you were quite brilliant today so I'm not sure there’s much I can do to improve things.”

“Thanks.” Alec blushed.

“Not that you're biased at all..” Luke laughed, effectively breaking the spell.

“Oh I freely admit that I am completely biased here. You know I'm quite the fan.” Magnus replied with a wink in Alec’s direction.

“Great, well that’s all settled. So how about you take a break for a bit Alec whilst I go catch up with Hodge, then maybe we can work on the order for the routine, throw in some crowd pleasers.” Luke grinned. “I'm sure Magnus’ll keep you company.”

………….

“So, are you Ok? I mean, I hope this isn't too boring for you..” Alec shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot once Luke had left them.

“Are you kidding me? Alexander this is probably one of the best days I've ever had. You’re incredible up there,” Magnus smiled softly and waved his arm towards the bar, “and who in their right mind could be bored watching that?”

Alec smiled, his posture somewhat hunched as he looked up through his eyelashes. Clearly he had spotted the slight tension in the air and the worst part was Magnus knew it was entirely his own doing. Ever since he’d spoken to Cat and truly acknowledged his feelings it felt like the floodgates had opened and every little thing that Alec did sent his heart racing. In all likelihood it was worse because he’d spent so long denying it and trying his best to close himself off.

Well enough was enough, today was Alec’s day and there was no way he was going to ruin it by behaving like a lovesick fool, even if realistically that was exactly what he was.

“Oh, okay. If you’re sure.” Alec replied, licking his lips nervously. Dear god, the man was trying to kill him.

“Positive darling, anyway I've also had your lovely sister to entertain me. I must say, she has an excellent career ahead as a presenter if she wanted, I swear her explanation of your routine was one of the best I've ever heard.” Magnus smiled warmly, trying his best to act as normal as possible. Happily, it seemed to be working, at least to an extent, judging by the sound of Alec’s soft laugh. “Now then, Luke did tell you to take a break, perhaps I could get you a drink, non alcoholic sadly but it's the thought that counts.”

“Actually yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Maybe we could head to the canteen.” Alec’s smile seemed more genuine now and Magnus was glad to see some of the tension leaving his face.

“Excellent, well you lead the way, my dear.” Magnus waved an arm towards the door. “Now please tell me they have coffee and not just ‘healthy alternatives.’ I'm honestly not sure I could survive without my afternoon caffeine.”

Alec burst out laughing as Magnus used his fingers to air quote and scrunched up his face in apparent disgust.

“Don't worry, there’s coffee.” He grinned.

“Glad to hear it. I know you athletic types though..” Magnus teased.

“Yeah but we do have coaches too and sometimes parents come in, so..” Alec retorted and Magnus relaxed a little as they slipped back into their recent pattern of casual banter.

The walk to the cafeteria was much more laid back after that and Magnus felt like he could breathe again. Making their way up to the counter the conversation was still flowing easily before Alec took a break to order their drinks and then led the way to a free table. The seating area was fairly quiet, what with it being past the lunchtime rush, and it was nice to spend some one on one time with Alec.

“Well, I can tell you one thing, Luke was impressed as well.” Magnus smiled as they settled down in their seats.

“You think?” Alec looked up hopefully, toying with his glass of fruit juice.

“I _know_ it. Trust me on this one, Luke always says exactly what he thinks.” Alec smiled proudly as Magnus raised his coffee mug, pretending to toast him.

“He’s great. Luke, I mean..”

“He really is. I don't think it’s an exaggeration to say he and Jocelyn saved my life.” Magnus concentrated on drinking his coffee, not wanting Alec to see how emotional talking about that part of his life made him. Swallowing down his drink he managed to calm himself enough to look back at Alec. “I hope he’s been helpful.”

“Absolutely.” There was no mistaking the determination in Alec’s eyes. “I mean, his approach is very different to the way I've been taught but I think that's a good thing.”

“Then I'm very glad. Between you and me, I'm pretty sure he’s loving every minute.” Magnus leaned forward and whispered the last part like it was a secret, making Alec laugh again.

The conversation paused for a second and Alec’s brow began to scrunch again as if in thought.

“Alexander?” Magnus looked at him, eyes full of concern.

“Yeah, no I'm good...it’s just..” Magnus raised an eyebrow to encourage him to continue. “You do know you don't have to help with the t’ai chi thing, don't you?”

“Of course I do.” Magnus smiled softly, fighting the urge to reach forward and grasp Alec’s hand which was back to fiddling with his glass. “But if it makes a difference in any way, I'm happy to help.”

“Yeah but you’re really busy, so..”

“Right, well, firstly I'm not that busy.” Magnus counted on his fingers as he spoke. “And secondly, I rarely agree to do anything I really don't want to do. Does that make you feel better?”

“It kinda does.” Alec smiled self-consciously.

“Good, but be warned I'm quite the strict taskmaster.” Alec chuckled softly and Magnus realised that making him laugh was rapidly becoming highly addictive.

“I’ll bear that in mind.”

“You do that. Well, I suppose we should think about heading back.” Alec nodded in response and drained his glass before standing up.

“Are you sure you’re okay to hang around for a bit? I mean, haven't you got a lot to sort out for tonight?” Alec glanced across at Magnus as he stood.

“Oh no darling, don't worry about that. Fortunately I have Cat to organise everything. All I have to do is make myself look fabulous and turn up on time.” Magnus winked.

“Right, of course. So Cat’s going to be there then?” Alec looked straight ahead as they began to walk.

“Oh yes, actually I think there’ll be quite a crowd. My sister Clary and her friend Simon are coming, oh and Maia, who you've met already. I take it your siblings are still planning on joining us.” Sensing a slight return of Alec’s nerves, Magnus chatted animatedly in an attempt to distract him.

“D’you honestly think they’d turn down the chance for a party?”

“When you put it like that, no.” Magnus chuckled. “I rather think Clary and Simon are quite looking forward to meeting them.”

Alec raised an eyebrow.

“Well strictly speaking Simon met the delightful Isabelle at the gallery opening, and if you ask me, she made quite the impression.”

“You mean she terrified him.”

“Actually, that’s a pretty accurate description.” Magnus laughed.

“And your sister, Clary was it?”

“Ah Clarissa, the arguments she and I have had over you and your brother. She is adamant that Jace is the better of the pair of you and though I love her greatly, she’s obviously wrong on that one.” Out of the corner of his eye he saw Alec blushing slightly. “If you ask me, she has rather a crush on your brother, although knowing her, she’d deny it till her dying day.”

“Oh god, Jace’ll love that.” Alec groaned rolling his eyes.

“Oh I wouldn't bet on it. He may well have met his match in Clary.” Magnus waggled his eyebrows enjoying the way it made Alec smile.

“Ok, so that does sound like fun.” Alec laughed.

“Well to be fair, I have to do something special after today, don't I? I rather feel you've set the benchmark for being impressive rather too high for poor old me.”

“What? No, this is just training, it’s not exactly exciting, not like the things you do, you're incredible.” Alec blushed bright red when he realised what he’d blurted out and Magnus had to pause for a second because he surely couldn't have meant it the way it sounded, could he? “I mean your magic is..”

There was no mistaking the small pang of disappointment Magnus felt when Alec clarified his statement, not that he was truly surprised, but still.

“That's very kind of you but I'm afraid my silly little illusions are nothing compared to what you can do. Sadly for me, I am rather competitive, so I’m definitely going to have my work cut out for me tonight. Hopefully though you’ll enjoy my new trick, it is rather fabulous, if I say so myself.” Magnus tried to keep his voice as carefree as possible. “Although it is more close up than usual but don’t worry, I’ll make sure you have a prime spot.”

Before Alec had a chance to reply they reentered the training room and Magnus saw Luke standing with Hodge, apparently ready to continue.

“Well it seems as if I've monopolised your time for long enough, Alexander.” Magnus nodded towards the coaches.

“Yeah, I should.” Alec shrugged, “after all, I've got to impress you, don't I?”

“Alexander Lightwood, is that your own competitive streak I see showing?” Magnus winked.

“Maybe.” Alec's laugh was more genuine this time and Magnus was delighted.

“You never fail to impress me, Alexander.” Magnus murmured as Alec made his way across the room. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, they're both so oblivious I can't even but sooner or later something's gotta give right.
> 
> Anyway next time our boys head off to Pandemonium so .....
> 
> As ever I love to hear your thoughts and I can't thank you enough for your wonderful support. You have literally no idea how much each and every comment/kudos means to me 
> 
> Tigs xox


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus and Alec get ready for Pandemonium

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo I'm back with another chapter...so this is what I like to think of as Pandemonium the arrival and trust me there's a lot happening in the next for chapters....
> 
> I really hope you lovely people enjoy it..

“Alec, it's perfect, leave it alone.” Izzy slapped his hand away from where he was trying to surreptitiously do up a couple of buttons on his shirt.

Complaining under his breath, Alec slumped down in the back of the town car hired for the trip to Pandemonium whilst Jace sniggered beside him.

Gritting his teeth, Alec stared out of the window. The afternoon had been amazing, he and Luke had made serious progress with his routine and he’d enjoyed himself more than he could've hoped for but this evening was so far out of his comfort zone that he couldn't help but feel edgy.

It was only sitting in the car en route that he’d really had time to think things through. He’d barely had a second to himself all day, which in retrospect was probably a good thing. As soon as Luke and Magnus had left, Izzy had practically pounced on him, organising him with near military precision to make sure he was ready for this evening, until before he knew it, it was time to go.

Fiddling with his shirt cuffs, he tried to calm himself down but he couldn't help but feel the pressure building inside him, but he was determined that the evening would be a success. Magnus had gone over and above during the day, not only arranging for Luke to help him but standing by all afternoon, always there for a supportive smile or kind word, and Alec wanted nothing more than to do exactly the same for him in return.

The worst part about it was that, despite having seen him only a few hours ago, Alec missed Magnus already and feeling the car slow to a stop he found himself longing for Magnus’ calm presence when facing the inevitable crowds.

As the car door opened Izzy stepped out first, her silver dress sparkling in the lights outside the club and with a groan Alec realised that his suspicions had been correct when he heard the unmistakable sound of crowds calling her name.

Jace nudged him in the ribs almost painfully and with a wink leapt dramatically from the car, leaving Alec briefly alone with his thoughts.

Taking a deep breath Alec plastered a smile on his face and stepped out. He was going to do this right, for Magnus.

………..

Magnus was still finishing off his makeup when Cat arrived at the loft and instantly began complaining about how behind schedule they were, which was entirely typical of her. In his defence Magnus had had rather a hectic day and getting ready for the evening was far from his thoughts, his mind being rather more occupied with images of Alec.

He and Luke had left the Institute rather late, with Luke promising Alec that’d he’d be more than happy to return and help again if needed, which Magnus took as a rather ringing endorsement of his faux-boyfriend. The downside was that it’d left Magnus in somewhat of a dilemma, clearly Alec had greatly appreciated his time with Luke and from what he’d said the whole experience had been really helpful, but would he end up feeling awkward training with Luke should Magnus confess his feelings and not have them reciprocated.

Luke had been his normal calm reassuring presence in the car on the way back and had only positive things to say about Alec. He hadn’t specifically mentioned Magnus’ predicament but the very fact that he was praising Alec so highly spoke volumes. Luke Garroway was never one to tell you what to do, hoping that you’d make the right decision, given time.

Eventually, Magnus decided that today was not a day for worrying about such things, after all, he could hardly confess his undying love when Alec was training and a noisy crowded club wasn't really the right place for a deep and meaningful chat either.

The long and short of it was that all the time he’d spent trying to think things through had put him way behind and the reason why Catarina was now leaning against his bedroom door, arms folded tightly and tapping her foot in irritation.

“Do calm down, Catarina dear, I'm nearly ready.” Magnus saw Catarina roll her eyes in the reflection of the dressing table mirror.

“Not _nearly_ enough.” Catarina muttered.

“Relax, Ragnor’s there to greet everyone, so it’s fine.” Magnus replied, adding the finishing touches to his eyeliner.

“And that’s supposed to reassure me how?”

Magnus paused, eyeliner brush held in the air as he tilted his head, considering what Catarina had just said.

“Actually yes, I probably should hurry up.” Reluctantly he conceded that she did indeed have a point, Ragnor hardly being known for his warm and fuzzy nature.

“Finally..” Magnus glared at Cat in the mirror and shook his finger before grabbing his phone. “Magnus, what are you doing now?”

“Quick Facebook live darling..” Magnus smiled as he opened up the app.

“Oh good grief, look just get it over with..”

“Catarina darling, anyone would think you don't want free publicity.” Magnus chuckled, starting the session before she had a chance to argue back.

“Hello everyone, so here I am getting ready for a big night out so I thought I’d just check in with you lovely people to tell you all what’s going on.” Magnus smiled as he saw the flurry of questions already beginning. “Suffice to say we have an exciting evening ahead, don't we Cat?”

Cat plastered a smile on her face as Magnus swung the camera round to show her standing waiting.

“Oh you are all lovely, they're all saying hello to you Cat, give them a wave.” Magnus smirked as Cat halfheartedly waved at the camera, although the look on her face told him he’d likely regret this later. Swinging the camera back to himself he leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially at the screen. “I think Cat is grumpy that I'm taking so long but you can't hurry perfection now can you???”

Magnus grinned as a stream of love hearts and compliments flooded the screen.

“Oh my, you lot are lovely. See Cat, they think I look fabulous…” Magnus certainly didn't miss Cat rolling her eyes once more. “Oh and a few other questions coming in I see..so where to begin. Ah, I see, you want to know what I'm up to.”

Magnus fluidly got to his feet and walked over to grab his jacket, a fitted midnight blue affair with an intricate pattern of laces down the sides which shimmered as it caught the light . “Well have any of you heard of Bat Velasquez??”

Magnus laughed as he saw the flurry of excited comments on the screen.

“It seems you guys have. Well I get to meet him tonight as he’s kindly agreed to do a set at my club Pandemonium, but don't worry, we’re doing some filming for the show so you’ll all get a chance to see what happened.”

Magnus propped the phone up on the dresser as he put his jacket on, straightening the lapels as he read all the comments.

“I know it is exciting, isnt it? Ah I see there’s a theme here, isn't there...apparently a lot of you want to know if the delightful Alexander is going to be there.” Magnus picked up the phone again and looked thoughtfully at the screen. “Well let me tell you, I have just spent a wonderful afternoon watching him in training and honestly, when the world championships are on you really must tune in as he’s, quite frankly, incredible. Oh apparently I'm not answering the question, how rude of me ..Well if you really want to know, yes Alexander is coming down tonight and he’s bringing his delightful siblings Isabelle and Jace with him, so it should be quite a night.”

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Cat pointing to her watch.

“Sadly cherubs it seems it’s time for me to head off, but if anyone is in the area, you know where we’ll be..Otherwise have a wonderful night, wherever you are..” After blowing multiple kisses at the screen, Magnus signed off.

“Right, can we go now?” Catarina asked.

“Of course, lead the way, my dear..”

………..

“Way to go, big brother.” Izzy nudged him playfully in the side.

They’d just got into the club and Ragnor, having met them at the front entrance, was in the process of ushering them to the VIP area. The music was pumping already, so loud Alec felt like it was vibrating through his skin and he could barely hear his sister above the noise and the chatter of people all around him.

“I don't know what you mean..” Alec shouted back.

“Sure you do. Magnus is a good influence, you were actually social out there.” Izzy winked at him.

Alec tried to hide the lopsided grin on his face but the truth was he was pleased with how it’d gone with the crowds. Despite the fact that people were shouting his name and demanding his attention, he’d managed to not let his nerves get in the way and honestly, not that he’d ever admit it, he was feeling pretty proud of himself. As it turned out, the fans had been lovely, one group of girls had even persuaded him to pose for a selfie which, strangely enough, he had actually enjoyed.

As they reached the stairs leading towards The private seating the noise seemed to abate somewhat and at least Alec could talk at a normal volume now.

“I can be social..” He complained as his sister rolled her eyes and behind him Jace just laughed.

“Gee, thanks for the support Jace.” Turning his head he glared at his brother.

Jace shrugged, a cheeky grin plastered all over his face.

“I hate you both, you know that, right..” He muttered as they reached the top of the stairs.

“No you don't” Izzy looped her arm through his and blew a kiss at him, making him laugh despite himself.

“Right well, Magnus’ table is over there..” Ragnor indicated a corner booth which was currently occupied with a petite redhead, a dark haired guy with thick glasses and Maia. Alec fought down the disappointment when he saw that Magnus had not arrived yet. Ragnor fiddled with his phone, huffing indignantly at a message he'd just received. “Shockingly enough Magnus is running late, not that that’s a surprise. Well, help yourself to drinks, it appears I'm needed elsewhere..Oh and the bar’s taken care of, just so you know.”

Alec groaned as he saw Jace’s eyes light up at the thought of free booze.

“Right then boys, drinks first.” Izzy began to usher them over to the bar and Alec’s only thought was that this was going to be a long night before conceding defeat and following his siblings.

Alec wasn't much of a drinker but with his nerves returning with a vengeance, he gratefully accepted the beer that Izzy shoved into his hands as he followed them over to the table.

“Alec, hi.” Maia smiled warmly, standing up to greet him. “Hey, it's good to meet you properly.”

“Yeah, you too. I meant to say thanks by the way, for the other week.” Alec smiled rather more shyly back.

“Not a problem.” Maia paused for a second, eyes narrowing as she noticed Jace over Alec's shoulder before adding loudly. “Mind you if your brother hadn't screwed over the bar staff, I probably wouldn't have had to do anything.”

“Hey! In my defence I just forgot to call her, I did _mean_ to and she could've called me, you know…” Jace held his hands up on surrender as he stepped forward.

Out of the corner of his eye Alec saw the red headed girl, who he could only assume was Magnus’ sister Clary, watching the interaction with a look of absolute concentration. It seemed like Jace was rapidly losing a fan.

“Whatever, blondie.” Maia huffed before brushing past Jace and grabbing Alec by the arm. “Anyway Alec, you've probably guessed this is Clary and Simon.”

Alec smiled in what he hoped was a suitably friendly way but likely missed the mark quite dramatically with his increasing anxiety. God he wished Magnus was there.

“Hey.” He nodded at the pair “and this is my sister Izzy and brother Jace...umm but I guess you already knew that, didn't you?”

Alec felt himself blushing and was, for once, grateful for the dim lighting in the club.

“Oh Simon and I have already met.” Izzy grinned as she slid into the booth next to the dark haired boy. “You remember Alec, he has the band that did the amazing set at the gallery.”

“Oh wow you remember, I mean, obviously. I just didn't think..but yeah, no, that’s really, well, nice of you and …” Simon looked wide eyed at Clary as if desperate for help. “Oh god, what is wrong with me...I should stop talking, right?”

“Probably best.” Clary grinned at her friend.

“Okay..” Simon grabbed onto his drink and necked it rapidly.

“Is he always that cute?” Izzy leaned round Simon to talk to Clary.

“You think I’m cute?” Simon glanced between the two women who had both burst out laughing before slumping back in his seat. “Shutting up now.”

“Clary, it’s great to meet you...I was so annoyed I didn't get a chance to talk to you at the gallery. Your art is incredible.” Izzy gushed and Alec could see Clary smile proudly.

“So beautiful and talented then.” Jace put on his most winning smile as he approached, the one that he was always telling Alec was guaranteed to win over any woman. Judging by the look on Clary’s face, she was a notable exception.

“Really?” Clary deadpanned raising an eyebrow and Jace just froze on the spot, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Smooth Jace, very smooth.” Alec couldn't resist a little dig and when Jace glared back at him, he and Izzy both burst into laughter.

“Whatever, God I need a drink.” Jace grumbled, redirecting himself to sit next to Izzy instead. Alec didn't miss the victorious grin that flitted over Clary’s face.

“Hey Alec, why don't you come and sit here?” Clary patted the space next to her. “I've heard so much about you from Magnus and Luke, I feel like I know you already.”

Alec hesitated slightly before smiling lopsidedly and sliding into the booth, ignoring the death stare Jace sent in his direction.

“Looks like you're stuck with me, Blondie, bad luck.” Maia grinned a she settled down next to Jace.

………….

_Where on god’s green earth are you?_  
The Lightwood’s have arrived, Bat Velasquez is nearly here.  
I don’t get paid enough to deal with this.  
Ragnor

Magnus rolled his eyes as he read his friend’s text, apparently Ragnor was not in the mood to deal with any form of stress right now and he was only a tiny bit late anyway.

_Lucky for you I'm outside then :-P_

Cat looked across at him fiddling with his phone and there was no denying the look on her face was her way of saying ‘I told you so’.

“Yes, yes, you were right, Ragnor’s having a melt down,” Magnus said as Catarina raised her eyebrow.

Just at that point the car pulled to a stop and almost instantly the door was wrenched impatiently open.

“ _Dios_ , do you have any idea of time..?”Raphael scowled at Magnus.

“And so’s Raphael by the looks of it.” Magnus muttered under his breath.

“Yes because I love waiting around for you to turn up surrounded by ridiculous fangirls.” Raphael muttered hoisting his camera into position. “So for the love of god, can we just get this over with so I can set up inside.”

Beside him Catarina was practically shaking she was trying so hard to hold in her laughter, so Magnus threw her a filthy look for her blatant lack of support before straightening his suit vest and jacket and elegantly stepping out of the car.

Outside was a whirlwind of activity, paparazzi and fans crowded the streets and the queue to enter Pandemonium stretched out of view round the corner.

Adjusting to the noise of people calling his name. Magnus plastered a smile onto his lips and entered the melee.

To the right hand side a group of girls were gesticulating wildly at him and, curiosity suitably piqued, Magnus headed over.

“Oh my god, you’re here…”

“Can we have a selfie..?”

“We love you Magnus..”

The trio all chattered excitedly, talking all over each other so Magnus could barely make out their words.

Grabbing one of the phones thrust in his direction, Magnus dutifully posed for the photo and he could've sworn one of the girls actually squeaked in excitement.

“Wow, you and Alec...literally best day ever.” The girl was practically bouncing with excitement as he handed the phone back.

“You got a photo with Alexander?” The words were out of his mouth before he even thought it through.

“Yeah. “ One of the other girls grabbed her friends phone and started scrolling through her pictures. “He’s so lovely and so adorable. Look…”

The girl eagerly shoved the phone under Magnus’ nose and pointed excitedly at the photo of the three of them, with Alec in between them, smiling that lovely lopsided smile that did funny things to Magnus’ insides.

The girls were still talking animatedly about how amazing Alec was, which to be fair he couldn’t agree more with, but Magnus found it hard to pay attention when faced with the beautiful picture in front of him. Alec looked quite simply stunning, small amount of scruff covering his jaw and wearing a forest green button up shirt which seemed to bring out all the matching flecks in his hazel eyes. Clearly the shirt was designer, judging but the cut and the way it hugged Alec’s arms, almost sinfully. Magnus was quite sure he should know the brand but right at that moment in time he was finding it increasingly hard to think straight. Instead, all he was aware of was the all encompassing longing to see Alec face to face.

“That’s a lovely photo ladies but sadly, I’ll have to head inside. I can't keep Alexander waiting too long now, can I ?” Magnus smiled at the girls, trying his best to seem relaxed whilst his heart raced at the thought of seeing Alec.

Magnus made his way to the entrance with the girls shouting encouragingly behind him, turning at the last moment to bow dramatically.

“Go get your man, Magnus.” Someone shouted from the crowds.

_Ah if only it was that_ _easy_ , Magnus thought, as he made his way into Pandemonium.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Pandemonium next time - I'm thinking there'll be 3 more chapters there 'cos there's a lot happening and I really really don't want to rush things...
> 
>  
> 
> I hope you guys liked this chapter and I'd love to hear your thoughts. All your lovely comments really have been super helpful in motivating me to write...
> 
> Huge hugs   
> Tigs xox


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the night in Pandemonium or Magnus Bane is quite magical....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we go...the start of The night in Pandemonium...
> 
> There’s a lot that’s gonna happen so let’s just dive into it....

Over the last half an hour Alec had definitely felt himself relax and actually begin to enjoy the evening. The fact that he had nearly finished his second beer probably helped but it was more the warm and friendly atmosphere at the table.

Jace had persisted with his clearly futile attempts to win over Clary, while Izzy, and to a lesser extent, Alec had responded by relaying pretty much every embarrassing childhood story they had of him, of which there were a lot. To give him his dues, Jace had taken all the teasing in his trade mark good humour which certainly helped lighten the mood.

Alec had learnt that Simon and Clary had been best friends since kindergarten with Simon insisting, in what seemed to be his default enthusiastic way, that Clary had saved his life. Clary in turn was determined and smart, and from the stories that Simon had told, seemed to have a penchant for leading others into trouble, a trait she definitely shared with Jace.

Maia was sharp as a tack and undoubtedly kindhearted, she and Jace were more than a match for each other when trading joking insults. Initially Alec had been surprised to learn that Maia and Simon had apparently dated in high school but there was no doubt the great friendship between the pair.

Simon literally couldn't stop talking and was endearingly enthusiastic about everything, not that Alec would ever admit that out loud, and Izzy seemed quite taken with him. Izzy was always outspoken and if Alec were to try to explain the attraction he’d hazard a guess that Simon’s lack of brain-to-mouth filter, and thus forthright nature, had a lot to do with it.

Relaxing back in his seat he laughed along as Izzy held court whilst regaling everyone with the story of how Jace had tried to bluff his way into a local bar aged 16 thinking that his home made ID, charm and the fact that he’d dragged Alec along, who was already well over six foot at the time, would be enough to succeed.

“He even tried to grow a beard for about a week beforehand thinking it’d make him look older..” Izzy laughed, with Jace in the background trying to defend himself.

“Well there was me, worried about being late. You lot look like you’re getting on like a house on fire..” Alec span round to see Magnus observing the scene, a look of amusement on his face.

Alec was dimly aware of Clary threatening to spill all the goss on Magnus as a teenager but he couldn't really focus on the words because Magnus Bane looked utterly stunning and it took his breath away.

True, he’d seen Magnus dressed up before but somehow this was different. Magnus was wearing a dark blue suit with gold thread throughout which seemed to highlight every muscle, the pants so tight he was sure it shouldn't be allowed. The sides of the jacket were pulled in with an elaborate array of laces all ending with gold beads. Underneath he wore a coordinating vest which was equally intricate and only seemed to highlight the muscles in his torso especially when combined with the sheer gold shirt he wore under it which was open almost indecently showing off what felt like miles of tawny skin which he was pretty sure had been coated with a liberal amount of glitter, unless Magnus naturally shone like that, which at the present time Alec could completely believe was possible. Magnus’ multiple necklaces shook as he laughed drawing attention to his perfect neck and chest.

It was a struggle to drag his eyes upwards but things didn't get easier there, Magnus’ eyes were accentuated with gold eyeliner that made them seem to sparkle under the club lights, and as for his lips, well Alec didn't dare to look.

Sliding into the seat next to him, Magnus touched his arm lightly and Alec swore he felt electric sparks run all over his body.

“You Ok?” Magnus looked at him concerned as he spoke quietly.

“Yeah, yeah..I'm good.” Alec ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to regain some control. It was only partially successful. “You look…”

Alec struggled for the right words to describe how amazing Magnus looked. Incredible? Stunning ? Mesmerising?

“You look nice..” _Great job Lightwood!_ Alec cursed himself internally.

“Why thank you, Alexander. I have to say you look rather incredible yourself. Is that by any chance a designer shirt?” Alec felt himself blush as Magnus’ gaze flitted down to his torso before meeting his eyes again.

“Umm yeah..I think so..I..”

“It’s Yves St Laurent...seriously Alec, how many times have I told you that?” Izzy teased from over the table and Alec was glad that the attention was no longer solely on him.

“Oh Alexander, sometimes you are far too adorable for your own good.” Magnus laughed and Alec found himself smiling back.

As everyone else started to join in the conversation Alec felt himself relax again, even contributing now and again and trying his best to ignore the feeling of Magnus’ thigh pressed up next to his in the cramped booth.

At some point someone had ordered more drinks and Alec gratefully dived into his next beer, enjoying the warm glow of alcohol spreading through his veins.

“Finally…” Ragnor looked more harried than usual when he arrived at the table, frantically tapping away on his phone more than usual. “Magnus we need you right now. Mr Velasquez has arrived and we need to get set up.”

“Work, work, work..” Magnus huffed dramatically as he stood up. “Well you lot seem to be perfectly fine here so I’ll leave you to it for the moment but I fully expect you to all come over and watch the illusion and then tell me how fabulous I am afterwards.”

…………..

“Ok, well let's get this over with then.” Magnus grumbled as soon as they were out of earshot of the table.

“Oh I'm sorry to drag you away from ogling the Lightwood boy and forcing you to actually do your job.” Ragnor bit back.

“I wasn't ogling..” Magnus mumbled petulantly.

“Of course not. Really Magnus, can we please focus on the task in hand rather than the unmitigated disaster you're currently making of your love life.”

Before Magnus had time to retort, Catarina arrived, which was simultaneously a relief and somewhat irritating. He really hated it when Ragnor got away with a caustic comment without having the chance to get his own back.

“Ok, so Bat Velasquez has arrived at the back entrance and Raphael is in place. I suggest we get some meet and greet footage and then proceed to the office.” Catarina was her normal organised self. “Actually Ragnor, if you could get everyone in place that may well make things go smoother.”

“Fine.” Ragnor huffed and turned back in the direction they’d just come from, entirely missing Magnus poking a tongue out at his retreating back.

“Really Magnus, what are you, two?” Catarina rolled her eyes.

“He said I was ogling Alec.” Magnus pouted, crossing his arms across his chest.

“Which you undoubtedly were. Now can we please move on?” Not waiting for a reply, Catarina began striding purposefully towards the back door.

“Well yes, but that’s not the point.” Magnus muttered before following close behind.

How anyone expected him _not_ to admire Alexander when he was sat there looking like literal sex on very, very long legs, he didn't know, but the curious part was he was almost certain Alec had done the same to him. Ordinarily Magnus was fully aware when someone was eyeing him up, part of his job was being adept at reading body language, but with Alec he could never be completely sure. _It’s because you want it to be the case too damn much!_ his brain helpfully supplied.

Squashing down the thought, Magnus put his game-face on, running through his plan for the evening, making sure that he was fully au fait with everything that needed to be done. Happy that everything was planned out, he got ready to greet Bat.

…………

It wasn't long after Magnus had left that Ragnor reappeared at the table and ushered everyone who wanted to watch Magnus in action, which was basically all of them, towards the office space at the far end of the VIP area.

Inside the office there was camera equipment everywhere, and despite the glass door leading out onto a small balcony overlooking the dance floor, the sounds of the club were barely audible.

Alec leant against a back wall, beer clutched in his hand, and tried to make himself as unobtrusive as possible whilst his siblings made no bones about checking out all the equipment and generally getting in the way.

A couple of minutes later Catarina and Magnus arrived with a remarkably young looking Latino man who Alec assumed must be Bat Velasquez. He wasn't sure what he’d expected an up and coming DJ to look like but Bat looked remarkably laid back in jeans and a t-shirt and an approachable smile on his face.

Magnus spent a few minutes introducing him to everyone and Alec had to admit that it made him grin like an idiot when Magnus introduced him as his boyfriend. As it turned out, Bat seemed to be a really great guy, chatting happily with everyone and even tolerating Simon prattling on about music for far longer than was really necessary.

Maia and Bat had already met a few times, as in the early days of his career he’d done a few sets at the Hunter’s Moon, a fact that Magnus had seemed quite unaware of, but as Maia pointed out, she didn't have to tell him everything about her life. Suitably chastised, Magnus had gone over to Raphael and done his final check before calling Bat over.

“Ok, are we ready?” Cat called out before taking her place next to Alec so the filming could start. “And action..”

As Alec watched, Magnus and Bat chatted away about the club and Bat’s career and he couldn't help but wonder what Magnus was up to.

“So I hear you have your superstitions before going on?” Magnus laughed and Bat smiled guiltily.

“Well, yeah. I try not to be one of those people with a ridiculous rider but ...well..” Bat shrugged.

“So you don't want a bowl of M&Ms with all the blue ones taken out then..” Magnus teased.

“God no..” Bat laughed, for someone in the spotlight he seemed a little bit on the shy side but Alec guessed he expressed himself more through music than words so he supposed it made sense really.

“I hear you have a lucky ring though..I must say, I approve. I don't know if you guessed but I'm quite the fan of jewelry myself.” Magnus waggled his ring covered hands at Bat. “I don't suppose I could see it..?”

“Umm, Ok..” Bat held up his right hand to show off the large signet ring which was the only jewelry he wore.

“Ok, can I try something…?” Magnus held his palm open and Bat paused for a second before offering up the ring somewhat reluctantly. “Well I have to say that's very pretty, sorry, two seconds..”

Bat’s brow furrowed as Magnus stepped through the glass doors onto the balcony, holding the ring up to the club lights as if examining it closely. A sudden flash of strobe light seemed to temporarily disorientate Magnus and, almost in slow motion, Alec saw him drop the ring onto the dance floor.

Magnus came rushing back through, seemingly upset, and all Alec wanted to do was go and comfort him but Catarina put her hand against his chest, holding him back. Looking at her anxiously Alec noticed she appeared remarkably calm about the apparent misstep and he realised that Magnus may be faking it.

“Well that's rather embarrassing…..” Magnus shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. “I..well..I'm quite sure security will find it. Hmmm, shouldn't take long..”

Magnus’ body language showed him to be somewhat embarrassed but there was an underlying confidence to his words that made Alec absolutely sure that this was entirely part of the plan, even though he wasn't sure how yet.

“Ok...well...plan B then...you know while...yes, well.” Bat was watching Magnus with furrowed brows, apparently not really sure what was going on himself. “You know one thing I’ve learnt over the years is how to mind read, so how about we try a game in the meantime?”

“Ok..” Bat replied cautiously.

“Excellent.” Walking over to the desk, Magnus grabbed a sketch pad and a pencil and positioned himself facing Bat. “I know you're always very secretive about your set list but I'm betting I can guess what your first track’ll be.”

Seeing the sceptical look on Bat’s face, Magnus broke out into a grin.

“You don't believe me?” Magnus raised an eyebrow.

“I'm not sure you’ll have heard of it..” Bat replied diplomatically.

“Should I be offended by that?” Magnus laughed. “No, don't worry about that. All I need you to do is think very carefully about the track, play it in your mind. Can you do that for me?”

Bat nodded, watching Magnus closely as he shut his eyes in concentration.

“Ok, I’ve got something.” Magnus snapped his eyes open and began to draw on the paper. “Ok, so keep playing the track in your head. Excellent. Well I have to say that I do know a little about you, which helps a bit. For example, I know you’re quite the anglophile and I know you like to throw obscure tracks into the mix so ….yes, I’ve definitely got it…”

With a final flourish Magnus finished whatever he was writing on the pad and turned it round to show everyone. On it he’d drawn clouds and lightning and underneath had scrawled the words ‘shut up’.

“So my prediction is you’ll start with ‘shut up’ by the English grime artist Stormzy.” Magnus declared victoriously, his smile only fading when he saw the expression on Bat’s face.

“Um well, usually you’d be right but I’m trying something new tonight, so….but yeah, I mean, I'll be playing it later, so I guess...” Bat shifted uncomfortably.

“Well this isn't going well at all, is it? Listen can you hold this for me?” Magnus handed the pad over to Bat and began to pace a little around the room. “Is it me or is it hot in here?”

Alec glanced at Catarina who smiled back reassuringly.

“Yep, definitely a little warm.” Magnus flung off his jacket, throwing it casually onto the desk and Alec tried his very best to not stare at his biceps flexing under the shirt. “Ok, let me see if they’ve found the ring yet..”

Magnus turned back to the glass doors to reveal the complex lacing on the back of his vest. Just as he was about to go through the doors, he tugged the hem of the vest down sharply and something shiny seemed to appear on the lacing at the back. Isabelle gasped loudly.

“What? Did I miss something?” Magnus looked back over his shoulder, eyes glittering mischievously. “Is there something on me? Sorry to ask, but you would mind checking, Bat?”

Bat paused for a second, looking very confused before stepping forward. As he reached out, Alec realised the flash of light he’d seen was from the ring now hanging off the middle of the laces on Magnus’ vest.

“It’s my ring…” Bat gasped.

“Is it now..are you sure?” Magnus winked.

Bat tucked the sketch pad under his arm and very self consciously untied the laces before sliding the ring off and placing it back on his finger.

“Yeah, it’s definitely mine. What the hell?” Bat gazed down at the ring in disbelief.

“Good, great. Well that’s one problem solved, isn't it..?” Magnus grinned. “Brilliant, you still have the pad. Can you open it to the drawing for me?”

Carefully Bat opened the pad and showed the storm cloud drawing to the cameras when Magnus asked him too.

“So we’re not starting with Stormzy tonight, right?” Magnus asked.

“No..”

“Ok, do you mind telling me what track you are playing first?”

“Well, it’s actually very new. It’s a track by Noel Gallagher called Fort KnoxI literally only heard it this week.” Bat replied almost apologetically.

“You’re right, never heard of it.” Magnus laughed, straightening his vest again. “Ok, so what I need you to do is hold the pad facing you, hand either side, yes?”

Bat nodded carefully as he repositioned his hands.

“That’s it. Right now, when I say I want you to, sharply shake the pad, ok?” Magnus smiled as Bat looked at him intently. “Ok, now.”

Right on cue Bat shook the pad and from his position by the wall Alec could've sworn he saw the writing on the page start to fade in places.

“How the hell?” Bat gasped.

“Care to hold it up to the camera.” Magnus laughed, and as Bat moved the pad, it became clear that now the storm clouds had disappeared to be replaced by the words ‘Fort Knox”.

“I do so love it when things go to plan.” Magnus grinned, patting a clearly stunned Bat on the arm before moving over to Alec. “Shall we, darling?”

Magnus offered his hand and led Alec out of the door.

……….

“Magnus, that was amazing.” Alec gasped as soon as they were back in the VIP area.

“You enjoyed it then..” There was something about the look of wonder on Alec’s face that did funny things to Magnus’ insides.

“God yes..Magnus, it was so, so good. I mean your illusions are something else, are you sure you're not really a warlock?” Alec was gesturing wildly with his hands, clearly excited by the show and Magnus felt the warm swell of pride in his chest.

“Well you know what they say, a magician never reveals his secrets so maybe.” Magnus teased, definitely enjoying the sound of Alec's resultant laughter.

“Yeah, right. Maybe it's weird but it was just so cool to watch up close, you know, see the ‘High Warlock’ when I'm so used to Magnus.” Alec chuckled.

“You say that like we're two different people..” Magnus frowned for a second, not entirely sure how to take Alec's last comment.

“I guess it kind of feels like you are to me. I mean, the ‘High Warlock’ is like a character, right? Totally impressive, incredible but...hmmm I'm not really making sense, am I?” Alec chewed on his lip trying to think of the right words to say.

“No, I understand. So tell me, which do you prefer?” The question slipped out of his mouth before he had time to think about it and as soon as he realised what he'd said, Magnus’ heart started racing, nervous as to what Alec's answer might be.

“Well, Magnus obviously. For all that the High Warlock’s incredible, he's not really you, and well, I think you're far more amazing than him..” Alec blurted out. “God, sorry, I said too much, didn't I?”

Magnus gave himself a few seconds to absorb Alec's words, not quite believing what he'd heard before turning to look at Alec.

“Alexander, I think that's possibly one of the nicest things anyone's ever said to me.” Alec's face lit up in a proud smile at Magnus’ words.

“Really?”

“Truly.” Somehow during the conversation they'd both stopped walking and turned to face each other, only a small distance between them.

“I mean it, you know..” Alec murmured, locking eyes with him, making Magnus’ heart flip.

“Well that's good Alexander, because as it goes, I think you're pretty amazing too.” As he gazed into those beautiful hazel eyes it seemed to Magnus as if the atmosphere shifted and he felt he was being pulled towards Alec by an irresistible force.

“You do?” Alec looked at him wide eyed and Magnus swore he saw his eyes flit down to his lips, just for a second.

“I really do.” Magnus replied earnestly, his heartbeat thrumming in his ears. Alec was so close now that it would be easy to just close the distance between them and Magus felt the urge to kiss him like a physical pain. Alec's breath hitched and Magnus let the last of the walls around his heart crumble into dust.

God he wanted to feel Alec pressed against him but he was frozen to the spot as if afraid to ruin the moment. Was it possible that Alec wanted this too? How much had Alec had to drink? If he made a move, would he be taking advantage?

“Magnus, we have a problem.” Only when he'd finished speaking did Ragnor look up, and by then the mood was well and truly shattered. At least Ragnor had the good grace to look apologetic when he realised.

Alec took a step back, looking somewhat shellshocked as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“What?” Magnus tried hard not to snap but he really didn't succeed.

“Magnus, hon. You know we wouldn't bother you if it wasn't important but..” Catarina stepped next to Ragnor and the pair exchanged a worried look that really didn't help Magnus’ mood one bit.

“Fine. Look, will one of you just tell me what the hell is going on?”

“Well it would appear Camille has decided to make an appearance with her latest boytoy.” Typically Ragnor didn't beat around the bush.

“You have got to be joking. What idiot let that woman into _my_ club?” Magnus felt his fist clenching in anger. He had just had what was nearly a perfect moment and it was entirely his luck that Camille would turn up to ruin it all like some sick cosmic joke.

“Magnus, there are loads fans and press outside thanks to your Facebook live. How exactly do you think it would've looked if your ex was publically refused entry?” Ragnor replied.

Magnus pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to concentrate but just couldn't think clearly.

“So what do we do?” Even to his own ears his voice sounded defeated.

“Ok, so the way I see it, knowing Camille she'll want to be the centre of attention, right?” Cat replied calmly.

“Obviously. No doubt she'll be putting on quite the show on the dancefloor just to try and ruin my night,” Magnus replied, his voice dripping with contempt.

“Exactly. So we fight fire with fire. Are you up for doing some magic downstairs?” Cat asked.

“Hmmm I see your thinking...yes, actually that could definitely work and, added bonus, it would annoy the heck out of her.” Magnus began to smile at the thought, knowing how much Camille had hated what she called his ‘parlour tricks’ when they were dating.

Throughout the discussion Alec had been remarkably quiet and Magnus was almost afraid what he would find when he turned back to him.

“Alexander I'm sorry, this shouldn't take long..I…” Magnus was strangely lost for words when he saw the concerned look on Alec's face.

“I'll come with you..” Alec reached forward and placed his hand on Magnus arm and there was no mistaking the warm glow that spread up his arm from just such a simple touch.

It was so typically Alec, stepping forward to help, trying to look after everyone around him.

“Alexander, no, it's fine.” There was no way he would let Alec sacrifice his evening just to keep that bitch in line.

“I don't mind..” Alec looked back at him with a somewhat hurt expression that made Magnus’ insides twist.

“I know,” he replied softly, raising his hand instinctively so it hovered by Alec's cheek. “But I need you to enjoy your night. I will not have that woman ruin things for you too.”

Alec smiled back at him but there was a sense of sadness there that Magnus hated to see. It was at that moment that Magnus made his mind up, he was going to get through this evening, then tomorrow, even if he had to storm the Institute, he was going to tell Alec exactly how he felt.

“I promise I shan't be long.” Magnus smiled reassuringly and Alec nodded in understanding. Reluctantly, he turned back to Cat and Ragnor. “Right, let's get this done.”

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo.....please don’t kill me....I honestly promise things are gonna get way better from here :-)
> 
> If anyone’s interested the trick that Magnus did on Bat is based on one Dynamo did for Coldplay https://youtu.be/jXFhVgO0SqA it’s at about 31mins if you want to check it out....
> 
> As you may have guessed I’m not hugely into club music and I’m British so choosing the songs was a huge challenge...having said that I love Stormzy so I couldn’t resist including him.....as for Noel Gallagher I came across the Fort Knox track this week and let me tell you it was not what I was expecting at all and it’s honestly a current obsession of mine ...
> 
>  
> 
> Anyway as ever thank you for taking the time to read and I love to hear your thoughts 
> 
> Tigs xox


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pandemonium part 3 or sometimes all you need is a little push

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again.. so another chapter for you all and I really hope you enjoy it.
> 
> As ever I’m so so thankful for everyone who’s read, left kudos and commented on this fic. It means so very much...and hopefully you’ll like where things are headed ;-)

Alec stood watching Magnus’ retreating figure for what seemed like ages but in reality was probably more like a few minutes tops. Soon Magnus was swallowed up by the crowds, leaving him unsure what to do next.

Glancing over to the far side of the room he saw his siblings and Magnus’ friends and family laughing away, and despite knowing he should probably join them, it felt like the wrong thing to do right now. There was no doubt that if he went over there that Izzy would pick up instantly that something was off and that was the last thing he needed.

Making himself as unobtrusive as possible, not an easy task for someone his height, he made his way over to the bar. The trouble was he wasn't even sure what he was feeling. Settling himself on a bar stool he couldn't stop replaying the moment between Magnus and him as if trying to make sense of it.

It couldn't have been his imagination, could it? Not having a particularly good head for alcohol, Alec did feel a bit fuzzy but he was nowhere near drunk and certainly not drunk enough to imagine what had just happened. Magnus had called him amazing. That in itself was almost incomprehensible but the fact that he hadn't flinched when Alec had moved in closer, that he hadn't stepped back or laughed the whole situation off. Was it possible that Magnus felt something for him, something more than friendship ?

He knew he should be happy, ecstatic even, and he really was but there was still that nagging doubt at the back of his mind because while he was sure that he was right about Magnus’ intentions in that moment, something had held him back. Then there was the fact that he'd been so insistent on dealing with the Camille situation on his own. In a way he understood that but a far, far larger part of him felt useless and frustrated at his inability to help Magnus more.

The worst part of all was he knew Izzy would say _“stop overthinking things”_ and she’d be, as usual, absolutely right. If only it was that easy.

……..

To say Magnus’ head wasn't in the game would be somewhat of an understatement but at least he could stick to some of his more traditional tricks, the ones that took limited concentration and instead relied mainly on muscle memory. The only slight satisfaction he had was that it seemed to be having the desired effect, not only was he drawing quite the crowd but also he could see out the corner of his eye Camille making more and more of a show of grinding against some ice blonde giant of a man. He was getting to her and he knew it, the thought almost making being apart from Alec bearable. Oh who was he kidding, it really didn't and of course it didn't help one little bit that almost everyone wanted to know where Alec was.

Over and over in his head the same thought kept repeating, that Alec had nearly kissed him. The one thing he wanted more than anything to happen and yet he’d hesitated, afraid that it was too good to be true. For some reason it mattered to him more that everything was perfect with Alec, that if something were to happen it wasn't because of the heat of the moment. Alec _had_ been drinking but he didn't really seem drunk, still Magnus couldn't be _sure_ , couldn't be certain that the atmosphere in the club, hell possibly the excitement after the illusion, hadn't contributed to the situation.

He’d hoped that getting away would help clear his thoughts but the opposite seemed to be true, which was frustrating to say the least.

“Right, well I think that’s enough for tonight.” Ragnor indicated to Raphael to stop filming.

“Finally..” Raphael muttered before wandering off somewhere, no doubt to complain at someone and be grumpy for hours, Magnus thought uncharitably.

“I could do a few more.” Magnus glanced over Ragnor’s shoulder to where Camille seemed to be enjoying the attention switching back on her.

“No.” Ragnor replied so sharply that Magnus swung back to look at him instantly. “You've done more than was needed and right now you need to get back to Alec.”

“I'm sure he’s fine.” Magnus pouted, wondering exactly what Ragnor meant by the last statement.

“Perhaps, but I can tell you're not.”

“I have no idea what you mean.” Why Magnus tried to bluff with Ragnor he didn't know. There was no way in hell his oldest friend would believe what he said but nonetheless he always tried.

“You know I really hoped we were beyond this but apparently not.” Ragnor sighed. “You forget, dear boy, I saw the two of you together not half an hour ago and I know you far too well for my own liking.”

“Excuse me?” Magnus crossed his arms defensively in front of himself.

“Why do I even bother?” Ragnor rolled his eyes dramatically. “I would say you can’t run away from this forever, but from the looks of things, that’s exactly what you're trying to do.”

Ragnor paused for a second, eyeing Magnus closely and, for once, he didn't have any witty comeback because his friend was, as ever, way too close to the mark to be comfortable.

“You don't need to worry with Alec, you know.” Ragnor continued, his expression softening noticeably. “Anyone can see how much you mean to that man. So please, for your own sake as much as everyone else's, stop making up problems in your own mind.”

Magnus opened his mouth to speak but Ragnor just held a hand up.

“Don’t. Just don't.” There was a kind smile on his face softening the sharpness of the words. “You deserve this, Magnus. You deserve someone like Alec and he deserves someone like you. You may not see that but we all do.”

“Why are you being nice to me? Where’s Ragnor and what’ve you done with him?” Magnus tried to lighten the atmosphere with humour, although the effect was somewhat ruined by his somewhat watery smile. If Ragnor was being kind, things were more serious than he thought.

“Maybe it’s time we both tried something different eh.” Ragnor laughed. “But don't get used to it, I do have a reputation to uphold you know..”

“Wouldn't dream of it..” Magnus winked back, some of the tension leeching out of the situation.

“What are you two grinning at ?” Catarina reappeared next to them looking suspiciously between the pair.

“Ah, for once, Ragnor was giving me some good advice.’’ Magnus waved a hand around nonchalantly.

“I think you’ll find I always give good advice but you so rarely take it.” Despite the stern expression on Ragnor’s face, his eyes twinkled with amusement.

“Well I just hope he's telling you to go grab Alec, because if he is, I wholeheartedly agree.” Catarina laughed.

“Honestly? Not you too, Cat. Really, my two oldest friends ganging up on me.” Magnus huffed.

“You say that like this is a new thing.” Cat teased, making Magnus roll his eyes.

“Why do I put up with you two?”

“Because like it or not, you love us.” Cat shrugged her shoulders.

“Of course he does. Now enough talking, go find that man of yours.” Ragnor flapped his hand, dismissing him.

“Fine. I don't suppose I’ll get any peace until I do, will I?” Rather than answer, Ragnor raised an eyebrow sardonically. “That’s what I thought.”

With a wry shake of his head Magnus left his friends and headed towards the VIP area with a strange sense of determination.

………..

“What can I get you?” The girl behind the bar smiled at Alec as he picked at the label of his empty bottle.

“Umm another beer?” Alec looked up, still deep in thought.

“Nah, two shots.” Turning sharply to the side Alec saw Clary standing next to him with a cheeky smile on her lips. “For both of us. Chocolate please.”

The bartender smiled and bustled off to grab the drinks before Alec had a chance to protest.

“No arguments. I was just having a good chat with Izzy and she says you always overthink things. Shots are the patented ‘Fray cure’ for that, just do me a favour, don't tell Luke.” Clary grinned.

“You sound just like Jace.” Alec couldn't help but smile back.

“Urggh, that’s just mean, and just when I was getting to like you as well.” Clary laughed.

“He’s not so bad. Most of it’s a front, you know.” Alec always felt the urge to defend his brother and there was no denying Jace seemed more than a little taken with the petite redhead.

“See, I knew it…” Clary clapped her hands together in victory before her expression became a little more serious. “I was completely wrong about you though..”

“Okay,” Alec replied, cautiously looking at her with one eye narrowed.

The bartender walked over and placed four glasses filled with creamy brown liquid in front of them. Clary instantly grabbed one and nodded her head to Alec for him to do the same. Somewhat reluctantly he grabbed the glass and toasted with Clary before knocking it back in one.

The alcohol burned his throat slightly but the sweet chocolatey drink was not entirely unpleasant.

“God, Magnus isn't gonna let me live this one down.” Clary waved her arms around dramatically and Alec got the distinct impression she was at the very least tipsy, the rosy glow on her pale cheeks only confirming his suspicions. “Dammit I hate it when he’s right.”

Alec opened his mouth to speak, realising rapidly that he didn't have the first idea what to say. Luckily Clary seemed oblivious and continued chatting away.

“The worst part is I should've _known_ he was right because he always is. It’s honestly so annoying but I was so sure. I mean, you always looked kinda scary and grumpy on the TV..no offence.”

“Umm none taken.” No Alec genuinely wasn't sure what to say and his answer sounded more like a question than anything else. The way Clary grinned at him he guessed it was the right response.

“But Magnus always insisted you were just shy and, oh my, the arguments we got into about it, you have no idea.”

“You did?” Finding it hard to believe that before they’d even met Magnus was prepared to defend a complete stranger, and yet it in a strange way it was such a Magnus thing to do. It was something that he'd learnt over the last few weeks, that Magnus, despite the bluster and the showmanship, was irrevocably kind.

“God, yes. See Magnus always looks for the little detail, you know, and personally I think watching you with Izzy and Jace was when it started to happen..” Clary blabbered on. Alec became more and more confused over what she was talking about the longer the conversation went on and the fact that his head felt somewhat fuzzy from alcohol wasn't helping one bit.

“I don’t…” Alec scrunched his brows in confusion.

“When he started to fall for you, silly.” Clary slapped his arm a little too hard but he really didn't notice as his brain was still trying to catch up with what she’d just said.

Seeing his expression Clary gasped and held her hand to her mouth before leaning in a little too closely to examine his face making Alec lean back against the bar heavily to try and avoid too much scrutiny.

“Oh. My. God.” Clary exclaimed dramatically. “You don't know. How can you not know? I mean, it’s so obvious..”

“I…” Alec’s head was swimming.

“Oh Alec, you are adorable..” Clary grabbed her second shot glass. “Right then, drink up ‘cos you and I need to have a chat.”

Clary held her glass up, looking sternly at Alec until he did the same. Having grown up with Izzy he was fully aware of what that look meant and with a sigh of resignation, figured it was better in the long run to just play along.

“That's what I'm talking about.” Clary slammed her now empty glass on the bar and Alec couldn't help but be reminded of Jace once again and had to suppress a shudder of the thought of what mischief the pair would get up to if they ever did get together. By the angel, it didn't even bear thinking about.

“Right, so Magnus is completely smitten with you and no, there’s no point arguing ‘cos it’s just the way it is.” Clary continued and Alec had little choice but to sit and listen as the redhead calmly stated the one thing he wanted more than anything was just an undeniable fact, as obvious as the sky being blue. “Now I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this already but you like him too, don't you..?”

“I mean..yeah...we’re friends...well, I mean, I hope so...and..” Alec shifted uncomfortably in his seat and hoped that Clary would think the redness in his cheeks was due to the booze.

“C’mon Alec, admit it, you _like him_ like him..” Clary persisted with the tenacity of a dog with a bone.

“I…” Alec began rubbing his neck anxiously.

“Ok, so I'm gonna take that as a yes. The way I see it, it's up to you to make a move because much as I love my brother, he has this ridiculous idea in his head that he’s not good enough for people and I'd bet anything he won't tell you because he thinks you could do better than him.” Clary obviously noticed the shocked expression on Alec’s face and glancing at the bartender held up two fingers to order more drinks. “I know, ridiculous right? Speaking of, where is he anyway?”

“Umm he’s downstairs doing some filming..” To say the conversation was becoming surreal would be an understatement. Having started off with the shock of Magnus having feelings for him, now he's being told of Magnus’ belief that he was undeserving of anyone caring for him back. It felt like the stuff of dreams tinged with the sad knowledge of Magnus' insecurity and yet..it somehow felt like everything had begun to click into place.

“And he left you here. God, he’s such an idiot sometimes.” Clary muttered as she winked at the bartender who’d just appeared with more shots. Alec pinched the bridge of his nose trying to focus back on the conversation but feeling decidedly blurry around the edges.

“Well Camille’s here and Ragnor and Cat thought it would be a good idea and…” Alec fiddled with his glass, uncomfortably torn between defending Magnus and not wanting to say too much. He wasn't sure he'd felt this out of his depth in his life.

“Jeez, what’s that bitch doing here? Oh no, don't answer, she’d do anything for attention so I'm not even surprised. What he ever saw in her I will never know, apart from the obvious, I mean.” Clary was practically snarling but as she took a deep breath she seemed to calm down a little. “Sorry about that, she just makes me so angry. Anyway, I'm back now.”

Clary grinned at him, pausing for a second and tilting her head to one side.

“Actually that works in our favour.” She added.

“It does?” Honestly, keeping up with the redhead’s train of thought was beginning to feel like swimming against the tide.

“Obviously. I mean, after what she’s been saying about the pair of you, what better way to get your own back…” Clary’s eyes narrowed as she saw Alec frown. “Which Magnus hasn't told you about. Seriously, he and I are gonna have to have words.”

“Look, can you please just tell me what’s going on because I'm feeling a bit lost here..” Alec snapped, the constant change in direction of the conversation was making his head spin.

“Right, yeah sorry.” Clary seemed completely nonplussed. “It’s not really anything, she’s just being a bitch. I know, shocker right. Something about how you two aren't all over each other and some bullshit that it's weird..She's just playing mind games so I wouldn't worry too much.”

“Why wouldn't Magnus tell me that...I could..” Clearly the shots were starting to have an effect as Alec realised he’d just blurted his thoughts out loud.

“That’s easy. He’s protecting you, of course.” Clary replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “The thing is when they were together Camille used to drag him around like a goddam trophy, constantly pawing over him in public and then withholding affection in private, damn near destroyed him. There’s no way he’d want to do anything even slightly similar to you.”

Alec shook his head to try and clear his thoughts because, quite frankly, Clary was starting to make a lot of sense and it was just weird.

“And yet you still don't believe me.” Clary pouted. “I get it, you don't know me, but let me tell you there is nothing I wouldn't do for Magnus and do you really, really think that I’d encourage you to do something that would make him feel uncomfortable..?”

“I guess not…”

“Exactly.”

“So…?”

“So Alec Lightwood, you storm down there and you claim your man..” Clary folded her arms across her chest and jutted out her chin as she locked eyes with him. “Extra bonus to sweeten the deal...it'll piss off Camille like you wouldn't believe..”

Alec stared down at the shot glass on the bar, swirling the liquid as if somehow he could see the future in its depths. Chewing on his lip he thought back to earlier in the evening and the moment he and Magnus had shared, closely followed by replaying Clary’s words. Alec liked to consider himself a logical man and weighing up everything, there really only seemed one conclusion, a conclusion that seemed just too good to be true. The beginnings of a smile began to form on his lips.

“I mean, really, whatcha got to lose..say I'm wrong, which by the way I'm not..you can just say you were trying to get Camille off his back and at least you'll know for sure.” Out of the corner of his eye he saw Clary flick back her hair and smile broadly, seemingly satisfied with her logic.

Alec turned his gaze back to her, desperate for one last piece of reassurance.

“I'm not wrong, Alec.”

Still Alec hesitated, unsure what to do.

“I'm not wrong.” The words came far more firmly.

Decision made, Alec grabbed the shot, downed it in one and headed off in search of Magnus.

………...

The walk back to VIP was taking an unbearably long time, largely due to people wanting to stop Magnus for autographs or just to chat and it took all of his self control not to just snap at them to leave him alone. Not that Magnus would ever do that, not just because he knew how important fans were but ordinarily he enjoyed the look of excitement and disbelief when he engaged with one of his followers, like they couldn't quite believe they deserved even a moment of his time, which was utterly ridiculous.

This time however his patience was running decidedly thin, he was so desperate to get back to Alec. What exactly he planned on doing when he reached his destination he wasn't sure but hey, he was Magnus Bane, right? He’d work it out when he got there.

It was only when he reached the roped off staircase that led to the exclusive area that he felt himself relax a little but he should've known better because just as he was about to step through the cordon, he felt someone grab his arm.

“Magnus darling, how are you?” Even Magnus couldn't hide the shudder at the sound of that voice but knowing that they were surrounded by people scrutinising his every move he reluctantly turned round, smile plastered on his face.

Camille smirked before leaning forward and air kissing both sides of his face.

“Now play nice, darling, people are watching.” She whispered as she kissed near his right cheek. Magnus was smiling so hard now his cheeks hurt whilst simultaneously digging his fingers into the palms of his hand trying to resist the urge to push her away, bad publicity be damned.

“I was thinking you were avoiding me, you naughty thing.” Camille batted his arm and flicked her hair, no doubt aware that everyone around was taking notice and possibly even filming the encounter.

“Lilith forbid. No _darling_ , you just seemed rather busy and you know how I hate to interrupt.” Magnus replied, his smile syrupy sweet but his eyes as cold as ice.

“Oh you mean Sergei here.” Camille giggled and grabbed the bicep of the blonde man next to her dragging him towards her before wrapping an arm around his waist possessively. “Isn't he handsome? Oh and Russian too, so very manly.”

Sergei looked more than a little confused as Camille stroked his cheek as if he were a prize pet which, Magnus suspected, pretty much summed up how she felt about the Russian.

“How _lovely_!” Magnus tried not to sneer, he really did, but it was almost impossible not too. “It's a pleasure to meet you, Sergei.”

Magnus offered a hand which the blonde shook enthusiastically. It was the least he could do and he couldn't help but feel for the other man, knowing just how easy it was to fall into Camille's web of lies from his own bitter experience.

“Ah the High Warlock of Brooklyn. I like your show very much.” Sergei replied rather shyly, making Magnus pity him even more, although if he was being honest, the way Camille noticeably bristled at her latest accessory complimenting him was most definitely satisfying.

“So where is Alec? I thought he would've been with you, I _do_ hope there's not trouble in paradise. You two seemed so _sweet_ together.” Camille interrupted, obviously keen to get the conversation going the way she wanted.

“Not at all. No, Alexander is just upstairs with his delightful siblings and a few of our friends. I was just about to join him actually.” If you weren't getting in my way, he added in his head.

“Oh I’m _so_ glad to hear that..” Camille purred.

“I'm sure you are..” Magnus muttered, somewhat confused by the frown that was appearing on Camille’s brow and the way her eyes began flitting to look over his shoulder.

Before he had a chance to turn to see what had got up her nose, he felt a warm pair of arms wrap around his waist and a firm chest pressed against his back and suddenly he couldn't think straight, honestly even breathing was becoming somewhat challenging.

“Hey, missed you..” Magnus had to suppress a moan as Alec’s warm breath tickled his neck as he spoke. If his brain were able to function properly he’d probably wonder what the hell was going on but, to be honest, all he could do was lean back and try not to lose it as Alec’s thumb rubbed against his stomach because the effect it was having on his body was practically indecent.

“Alexander..” He managed to breathe out unconsciously, lifting his hands up to link with Alec’s. He was dimly aware that Camille was saying something but he honestly couldn't care less, not when all his attention was on the gorgeous man who was practically holding him up, having lost all strength in his legs.

“Dance with me,” Alec murmured, and holy fuck if he wasn't nuzzling into his neck. Turning his head slightly, he saw Alec looking at him with doe eyes and a smirk on his lips. He may not know what was going on right now but there was no way on earth he was going to fight this delightful turn of events.

“Sorry, Camille. It seems I'm needed elsewhere.” Using the last remnants of his self control, Magnus focused back on her, not an easy task with Alec holding onto him for dear life.

“Come on, Sergei, let's go.” Camille pouted, practically dragging the blonde past him. God knows where they were going but Magnus didn't give a damn either way.

Alec let go and stepped round to face him, making him pout at the loss of contact. Without another word Alec raised an eyebrow and held out his hand.

Even if he wanted to, which he decidedly did not, Magnus was powerless to resist as Alec led him to the dancefloor.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo....it’s looking good for our two right...well not to be spoilerey but I think the next chapter may well be very Malec heavy.
> 
> You also may have noticed I’ve now put up a chapter count and while I’m excited that we’re really near the end I’m kind sad to be nearly done..
> 
> Anyway I’d love to know what you think and you’ve no idea how much your comments brighten my day


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so here we go with the last chapter in Pandemonium. I was absolutely blown away with all your comments on the last chapter and I promise I’m getting round to answering them all.
> 
> I really really hope that you like this chapter and not gonna lie it’s been a killer to write cos I was so desperate to get it right. Huge thanks to my wonderful beta @ladymatt who put up with all my meltdowns...

Alec really wasn't sure how it had happened but all he knew was when he saw Magnus talking to Camille something snapped. Maybe it was because of Clary’s pep talk, maybe because even from the top of the stairs he could see the tension in Magnus’ shoulders and it brought out his protective instincts and maybe it was, at least in part, due to the warm glow of the shots running through his veins, silencing the incessant chatter in his brain. All he knew was that without thinking he’d walked up to Magnus, all the while under Camille’s disapproving gaze, and instinctively wrapped his arms around him.

It was only when he’d made his move that the doubt began to creep back in but the strangest thing had happened, Magnus had leant back against him, head resting against his shoulder and Alec’s brain pretty much short circuited.

“Hey, missed you..” The words were out of his mouth before he'd even had the chance to consider them.

Still, Magnus didn't pull away, no he just seemed to fall further against him, if that was even possible, and as Alec gently circled his thumb against Magnus’ stomach, all he heard was Magnus breathe his name. The next thing he registered was Magnus’ fingers intertwining with his and it was difficult to think of anything else when his whole body felt like it was on fire.

Everything about being this close to Magnus was more intoxicating than he could've possibly imagined and Alec couldn't help nuzzling in closer, breathing in the earthy smell of sandalwood and vanilla coupled with the deeper aroma that was entirely Magnus. The thought of letting go was almost incomprehensible, as if Magnus were the only fixed thing to hold on to in the midst of a tornado of feelings.

Around him the crowd began to cheer as Bat Velasquez took to the turntable and the deep thrum of music flowed into his skin, building inside him, and all he could think of was Magnus’ body pressed up against his.

“Dance with me,” he murmured and as Magnus turned to look at him he saw his wide eyes and blown pupils and knew with absolute certainty that he wasn't alone in how he was feeling.

For once the pulsing lights and loud music seemed a blessing, effectively making talking difficult and forcing Alec to act instead. With the worry that he’d say something stupid and ruin everything off the table, he could use his movements to talk for him, and if there was one thing Alec knew from years of training, it was how to make his body do exactly what he wanted.

Magnus dismissed Camille,though what he'd said he didn't have the foggiest idea, and it was only then, that Alec managed to let go, but just enough to turn and face him. Magnus had the most adorable pout on his face, as if he was genuinely upset that Alec had moved away, and it made his heart sing. There was no way of describing the feeling running through his veins apart from pure unadulterated euphoria.

Raising his eyebrow, Alec held out his hand.

……...

It only took until Alec had led him onto the dance floor that his apparent confidence seemed to waver and he hesitated, standing awkwardly but not letting go of Magnus’ hand.

“You Ok?” Magnus leant towards him a little to make himself heard.

“Yeah, I just...I don't really dance…” Even under the bright lights Magnus could see the flush on Alec’s cheeks as he ran his spare hand through his hair and smiled lopsidedly.

He watched Alec take a deep breath and it was obviously enough to settle him down as he leant towards Magnus’ ear and began to speak again.

“Will you teach me?” Alec’s breath was warm against his cheek, and really, how could he resist?

The music was too loud for real conversation so Magnus just smiled and nodded before turning to face Alec whilst simultaneously trying his best to calm his racing heart. It wasn’t really working.

With more assurance than he felt, Magnus stepped forward into Alec’s space and gently took his other hand, placing them both on his hips. Resting his arms carefully on Alec’s shoulders he had to fight the urge to bury his fingers in his hair.

“Ok?” Magnus raised an eyebrow, not really sure if Alec had heard what he’d said.

“Yeah.” Alec murmured and Magnus felt his fingers digging in a little, sending small shockwaves over his body. The effect this man had on him was, quite frankly, unbelievable.

“And now we move.” Magnus really hoped that the music hid the husky undertones of his voice as he began to sway gently to the music.

It really shouldn’t have been a surprise that Alec was a natural dancer but somehow it still was. They just seemed to fit together like puzzle pieces and when they danced it felt like it was meant to be somehow. Magnus couldn't help but melt into Alec still further until his chin was resting on Alec’s shoulder. He took the fact that Alec didn’t move away as a very good sign.

Neither of them spoke for a while, just moving together amidst the sea of bodies and Magnus felt like he was starting to forget where he ended and Alec began. It was terrifying how natural being this close felt and at the same time exhilarating, and he knew it would be so easy to just lose himself to the moment.

“You lied, you're a great dancer.” Magnus teased, hoping to lighten the mood a little but the feeling of Alec’s soft chuckle vibrating against his chest made his body tingle.

“I've got a good teacher.” Alec replied.

“Why thank you, Alexander.” Magnus grinned, the warm feeling in his gut growing until it felt like his whole body was glowing, responding instinctively by tightening his arms slightly around Alec’s neck. “I’m glad you asked me. Why did you?”

Magnus regretted asking as soon as the words slipped out of his mouth, worried that the answer would somehow ruin things.

“I...I don’t know really … I guess I thought you needed rescuing from Camille after what she said..” Magnus felt Alec shrug slightly and his heart sank. He’d really hoped it was something more but perhaps it was just Alec’s way of protecting him. Maybe that was at least in part why he hadn’t mentioned what Camille had said, which begged the question how did Alec find out.

Alec obviously felt something shift in the air between them and pulled him closer, his mouth pressed close to Magnus’ ear.

“You ok?” Magnus could hear the concern in Alec’s voice and it made him want to scream how far from ok he was. How he wanted Alec to be here because he wanted him as much as he did and not for any other reason.

“Alexander, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” Magnus tried to keep his face neutral as Alec pulled back a little and looked at him carefully.

“What if I want to?” Alec’s eyes were wide and his pupils blown but maybe it was just due to the dim lighting.

“Do you?” Magnus let the spark of hope ignite in his chest again, if only a little.

“Yeah…” Alec murmured, pulling him close again.

“Not because of Camille?”

“No.” Alec pulled back again and his face looked beautiful under the dancing lights, open and guileless as he shook his head firmly, a small smile playing at his lips.

“Then why?” The words caught in Magnus’ throat as he gazed into Alec’s warm hazel eyes. It was like standing on the edge of a precipice and knowing that the next few seconds would decide whether he would jump.

Alec didn’t say anything but instead slowly ran his hand up Magnus’ arm making him struggle for air as he laid his palm against Magnus’ cheek.

Magnus saw him mouth the word “because”. It felt like time stood still as Alec’s eyes flitted down to his lips and he leaned in achingly slowly, pausing just before their lips met.

If he’d have been capable of conscious thought in that moment Magnus would’ve laughed at how typical the move was of Alec, making his intentions clear whilst giving him every opportunity to back away, as if that were even an option. But there was no way that Magnus could think of anything else with Alec so close, couldn’t wonder at how, even in a moment like this, Alec was unswervingly considerate of how he was feeling. Magnus was powerless to do anything but close his eyes and bridge the distance between them, giving in to the indescribable feeling of kissing Alec Lightwood.

It was just a chaste kiss at first, a simple pressing together of their lips and yet the effect was electric and Magnus was quite sure he had never felt this way before. Any resistance he had faded away and he just let himself drown in everything Alec, the feel of his soft hair between his fingers as he tangled them in his hair, the masculine earthy scent mixed with sweeter undertones of chocolate filling his nose and the sensation of Alec’s perfect lips moving against his.

Alec’s hand moved from his hip to the back of his waist as he tugged him closer, fingers splayed against the small of his back whilst his other hand caressed his neck. It felt like the whole world had suddenly just shrunk down to the two of them and it was too much and yet not enough.

When Alec captured his lower lip and nipped at it gently, Magnus couldn't help but moan and dig his fingers into Alec’s hair, pulling slightly in his urge to draw him closer. Where the hell Alec learnt to kiss like this he didn't know but he thanked whatever guardian angels he had for it.

Alec pulled back first and without thinking Magnus chased his lips, unwilling to let go of the connection just yet. When their lips met again all pretence of innocence was gone, replaced with raw need and desperation. It felt like Alec’s hands were everywhere, grabbing desperately in his shirt and tangling in his hair as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. As Alec licked along the seam of his lips begging for entry there was no way Magnus could hold himself back.

Everything about Alec was driving him wild, the way it felt as their tongues danced in perfect harmony against each other, the swaying of their bodies in sync with each other to the music and the feel of that firm body under his searching hands. His fingers slipped under the edge of Alec’s shirt mapping the contours of the warm skin on his lower back, slick with a sheen of sweat, as if committing it to memory for ever. Alec moaned gently against his mouth and Magnus felt sure he was literally dying of pleasure, and just from a kiss.

Gasping for air, Magnus pulled back, forcing himself to resist just diving back in.

“We should…” Magnus began to speak, trying to ignore the way seeing Alec with kiss bruised lips and rumpled hair was affecting him.

“Talk?” Alec supplied.

“Yes.” Reluctantly, Magnus stepped back a little from Alec and offered his hand before leading him off the dancefloor.

…………...

Magnus led him down a corridor away from the noise and quietly opened a door to what seemed like a back office before closing it behind them. What happened next was somewhat of a blur and Alec genuinely wasn’t sure who moved first but before either of them could speak they were kissing again, tangled back up in each other as if they needed it to survive.

Whilst Alec was not what could be described as experienced, he wasn’t exactly innocent either but nothing had ever come close to the feeling of being with Magnus, it was something else entirely, overwhelming in the best possible way.

In his desire to get closer somehow he’d pressed Magnus against the door and the feel of his muscular body up against his own was sending every nerve ending haywire. When Magnus moaned, throwing his head back hard into the door, Alec instinctively moved to mouth at his neck, licking and tasting the warm salty skin and wondering distantly how he could ever find the strength to let go.

“Wait.” Magnus gasped, placing his hand against Alec’s chest and pushing him away gently.

“Are you ok?” Alec took a half step back and surveyed Magnus’ face anxiously. Had he misread the signs? He’d been so sure that this was what Magnus wanted too but perhaps he’d been wrong.

“Did I do something wrong?” He added, his voice suddenly sounding very small.

“No, Alexander, not at all..” Magnus fisted his hands in his shirt to stop him pulling back further and looked at him wide eyed. There was a vulnerability there that Alec had only caught glimpses of before now and it tugged at his insides and instantly the desire that had been burning like an inferno inside him died down to a smouldering ember, replaced by an all encompassing need to make sure Magnus was ok.

“Then..I…I mean, if you don’t want to..” Alec began, his eyes flitting desperately over Magnus’ face for a sign, any sign at all.

“You really have no idea what you do to me do you?” Magnus dropped his head slightly as if unable to hold eye contact for too long. “Of course I do, it’s just…”

Reaching his hand up, Alec cradled Magnus’ jaw gently his doubts settled by the way Magnus leaned into it.

“Hey, look at me. Whatever it is..” Alec rubbed his thumb along his cheekbone, as Magnus looked up at him through his eyelashes.

“It’s kind of hard to concentrate when you’re looking at me like that.” Magnus laughed.

“Ok.” Alec stepped back and leaned against the desk behind him, hand gripping the wooden edge. It took every bit of strength he had not to just go back to Magnus, bundle him up in his arms and tell him he had nothing to worry about, but he knew that Magnus needed this, needed to talk, and honestly, there was nothing more important to him right now than making sure he got that.

“Well I can't say I like that any better,” Magnus joked, trying as ever to hide his anxiety under a mask of casual flirtation, only this time Alec felt like he could see though the facade.

Instead of replying Alec simply smiled and raised an eyebrow hoping it would encourage Magnus to continue.

“Fine, well I was just saying.” Magnus pouted a little in that way that made Alec’s stomach flutter and he had to dig his fingernails into the wood of the desk even more to resist the urge to reach out to him.

Magnus sighed deeply before continuing, ducking his head to stare at the ground before looking up again.

“Believe me, there is nothing I want more than this.” Magnus spoke quietly, indicating between the pair of them with a flourish of his hand. “I just worry that…”

Alec bit his lip anxiously wondering where the conversation was going and terrified that Magnus would tell him that it’d been a mistake. The thought of going back to being friends after what had just happened was unbearable and Alec honestly didn’t know if he’d survive it. Magnus’ eyes softened as he looked at Alec, clearly sensing his change of mood.

“Alexander, I have been, shall we say, not particularly selective in my choice of lovers in the past but the truth is it’s rare that I’ve felt for anyone the way I feel about you.” To an outsider Magnus would have looked the epitome of calm confidence but Alec recognised the way he was tapping his thumb and fingers together on his right hand told a different story entirely. “I don’t want to mess anything up by rushing things. It’s been a big night, what with Camille and no doubt more than a bit of alcohol, and I don’t want you to regret..”

Alec couldn’t stand it any longer and in the blink of an eye crossed the distance between them to cradle Magnus’ head in his hands.

“Hey, I get it.” He reassured, still not quite believing what Magnus had just said. “I could never regret anything with you. You’re incredible, Magnus.”

“Really?” Magnus’ eyes were full of hope, even if there was a slight waver in his voice.

“Really.” Alec replied firmly. “Hey, have you met you?”

“That’s my line.” Magnus grumbled, although the beaming smile on his lips was somewhat of a give away.

“When you’re right, you’re right.” Alec shrugged and he swore he could’ve burst with happiness when Magnus erupted into laughter. “Look, I mean, if you’re around tomorrow I could maybe come over and we could talk or whatever. All I care about is making sure you feel ok.”

“But your training…” Magnus began but Alec silenced him with a light peck on the lips.

“My training can wait for one day…”

“Then I would love that, Alexander..” Magnus leaned forward to kiss him again but Alec stopped him by placing a finger over his lips.

“Slow, remember..” Alec teased, feeling like he was floating from sheer joy.

“Sometimes I have the worst ideas..” Magnus grumbled as Alec reached round and opened the door behind them.

“No you don’t.”

“I know..” Alec couldn't help but laugh at Magnus’ dramatics.

“C’mon let's go find the others eh…” Grasping Magnus’ hand tightly, they made their way back out, both grinning like idiots.

They’d barely made it out to the bar area when Isabelle came bouncing up to them.

“There you are. Honestly, I’ve been looking everywhere for the pair of you.”

Izzy stood with her hands on her hips, a stern expression on her face, but Alec couldn’t help but smile, especially when Magnus squeezed his hand in support. The movement didn’t go unnoticed by Izzy either who glanced down at their interlocked fingers before gasping and looking up at the pair of them, eyes wild with excitement and a hand held over her mouth.

Dreading his sister making a big deal of it, Alec shook his head almost imperceptibly and thankfully she seemed to get the message, although her expression made it quite clear they would be talking about it later.

“Well, here we are, my dear.” Magnus smiled smoothly back.

“Good. We’re all on the dancefloor and you two are joining us, no excuses, Alec.” Izzy indicated with a nod of her head to where a group of people were dancing together.

Squinting slightly, Alec began to recognise people. Maia was dancing happily with another woman who, on closer inspection, turned out to be Catarina, next to them was the distinctive figure of Simon who was flinging his arms around wildly whilst jumping around with two other men.

“Is that Ragnor?” Alec couldn't quite believe his eyes.

“I do believe it is and _Raphael_. Isabelle dearest, have we by any chance stepped into an alternative reality?” Magnus was shaking with laughter. “Honestly, you leave people alone for five minutes and the world goes mad.”

“Bit more than five minutes.” Izzy teased.

“Ah semantics. Nonetheless Isabelle, how exactly did you persuade the two grumpiest men in New York to join you?” Magnus waved his free hand about to punctuate his words.

“Well I asked them, silly.” Izzy replied as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

“And there was me thinking I was supposed to be the magician in this group.” Magnus glanced across at Alec and winked as he laughed.

“Wait. Izzy, where’s Jace?” Alec could’ve kicked himself that it had taken him that long to notice his brother’s absence.

“Weeellll….” Izzy shuffled her feet anxiously.

“And Clary?” Magnus scrunched his brow as he scanned the crowd looking for the familiar redhead.

“So about that..” Izzy giggled, her eyes fixed on a point behind them.

“Oh god..” Alec groaned as he turned to look, dreading what he’d see.

“I’m pretty sure they’re fine.” Izzy grinned as Alec caught sight of his brother drunkenly making out with Clary in a dark corner.

“Urgghh, you have got to be kidding me. By the angel, I feel like I need to bleach my brain.” Alec groaned.

“Like I said, they’re fine...better than fine by the looks of it.” Izzy tilted her head a wicked smile on her face.

“Seriously , there are somethings you really never want to see and _that_ most certainly qualifies.” Magnus scrunched his nose and covering his eyes with his hand.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure Alec will take your mind off it.” Izzy teased as Magnus laid his head on Alec’s shoulder.

“I am, quite frankly, way too sober for this..” Magnus moaned as Alec let go of his hand to sneak an arm around his waist and pull him even closer.

“Dancing first, drinks later.” Isabelle wagged her finger.

“Shall we?” Alec had to fight the urge to roll his eyes as Magnus looked up at him batting his eyelashes because it was just too adorable.

“Yes.” Alec smiled down.

It crossed Alec’s mind as they made their way to the rest of the group that he couldn’t remember a time when he’d ever felt this happy in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So....that happened .....I really hope you liked it ...feel free to shout at me as I love to hear what you think...


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day after the night before....or what Alec and Magnus did next...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we’re so close to the end now and honestly I’m starting to feel a little emotional about the whole thing.....
> 
> I can’t thank you enough for all your support and I really hope you enjoy how things end up ....
> 
> Oh and just so you know things may get a bit smutty towards the end of the chapter but I promise it’s very mild but nonetheless if that’s not your thing ....

Alec woke up early the next morning, which wasn't in any way out of the ordinary. What was completely different was the broad smile on his face as he remembered the night before.

Hugging his pillow tightly he replayed everything in his mind, the laughter, the dancing and most importantly every little detail of having Magnus near him. Granted they hadn't really had a chance to talk but the way Magnus had stayed by his side all night surely meant something.

Sitting up, Alec ran his fingers through his hair before reaching for the glass of water on his bedside table. Luckily he didn't feel hungover, not that that was particularly surprising as he’d barely drunk anything in the latter part of the evening, the feel of Magnus’ hand in his more than enough for him.

It was strange really, he should feel more nervous at the prospect of talking to Magnus and yet he felt almost eerily calm, as if he knew in his heart of hearts that everything would work out fine.

Reaching for his phone, he thought of texting Magnus but deciding it was still a little early, opted to jump into the shower instead.

Spending longer than normal deciding what to wear killed some extra time but realistically he could hardly wait to see Magnus again.

Shrugging on his denim shirt and jeans, Alec weighed up his options. He’d considered going for a run or maybe working out but honestly, he felt too wired for that. Alec checked his watch again, something he’d been doing almost obsessively since he woke up and came to a decision. Maybe if he walked to Magnus’, buying a coffee on the way, it wouldn’t be too unreasonably early by the time he got there.

Grabbing his coat, he went to leave before realising the one flaw in his plan, he didn't know what Magnus liked to drink and he really, really wanted to get something that he’d want.

With a sigh of resignation Alec wandered down the Institute corridor before pausing outside his sister’s door. Isabelle had met Magnus for coffee multiple times and would undoubtedly know what he’d like. The downside was of course that she’d no doubt want to hear all the gossip first but maybe, what with Isabelle not being a morning person in the slightest, he’d get away with it.

Weighing up the possibilities, Alec decided it was a risk worth taking and knocked on the door.

Hearing the muffled hello from inside, Alec let himself in.

Isabelle was still cocooned in the covers, hair rumpled from sleep and wearing her favourite teddy bear pyjamas which always made Alec smile.

“Alec?” Isabelle peeked out from the covers, rubbing her eyes a little before breaking into a broad grin.

“Yeah. Look, please don't make a big deal but I just needed a bit of help.” Alec rubbed his neck nervously.

“Really?” Izzy sat bolt upright in bed, patting the mattress next to her. “It’s about Magnus, isn't it? I knew it..”

“Yeah..” Alec sat down hesitantly.

“Well you seemed to be doing pretty well last night but if you need sex advice, I’m your girl..” Izzy grinned.

“Ew, no! Trust me, the last person I want that sort of advice from is my baby sister.” Alec scrunched his nose in disgust as Izzy just shrugged. “No, look, I’m just...look, I said I’d go and see him today and I thought I’d get coffee on the way but I…”

“Aww, that’s so sweet Alec...so I’m guessing you wanna know what he likes.” Isabelle laughed as Alec looked increasingly confused as she relayed Magnus’ usual drink order, some complicated concoction largely involving caramel and sprinkles. “Here look I’ll write it down, then you can just hand it to the barista.”

“Thanks..” Izzy grabbed some paper from her side table and began scribbling down the order.

“There..now..”

“Yeah, I should go.” Alec grabbed the paper from Izzy’s hand in a desperate attempt to get out of there before she said anything else. Jumping to his feet, he practically sprinted to the door.

“Have fun Alec, and remember, use protection.” Izzy shouted at his retreating back.

………….

Ordinarily Magnus wasn’t a morning person but it was still remarkably early when he finally decided to give up on sleep. Partly because he was feeling a mix of excitement and nerves at the thought of Alec’s promised visit today but mainly it was the way his brain kept replaying the events of the previous night. The whole evening had taken on an almost surreal quality in his mind because surely it had to be too good to be true.

With a huff of indignation he finally admitted defeat and padded to the bathroom. _What are you doing to me Alexander Lightwood?_ The thought echoed in his head as he stepped under the warm shower spray. Whilst he was perfectly aware of his own insecurities, usually when it came to matters of the heart he had at least the outward appearance of confidence and yet when it came to a certain dark haired gymnast, he seemed to bear more resemblance to a lovesick teenager.

Emerging from the shower he towelled himself off and grabbed his favourite black silk robe and matching lounge pants not ready to deal with the inevitable stress of what to wear just yet. There was something about the brush of the silky material against his skin that he found comforting and familiar and it was at least a start in making himself more relaxed.

Rationalising that he likely had quite some time until Alec arrived and that both Alec and Isabelle would’ve had their hands full looking after a frankly plastered Jace when they got home, Magnus made himself a cup of tea and settled down to put on his makeup grabbing a single solitary necklace to wear first.

There was something Magnus always found calming about his makeup routine, years of practice making it almost second nature and sitting down at his dressing table carefully implying eyeliner certainly helped settle his nerves.

All too soon the ritual was over and Magnus found himself tapping his finger impatiently on the desk not sure what to occupy himself with next. Out of the corner of his eye he spied his laptop and decided that catching up on his social media would do the job so he grabbed his tea and settled himself down on the sofa.

As it turned out, it wasn't the best idea. Although it started well, when reviewing tweets from the previous night he came across an article about how Camille was seen arguing with her latest boy toy and how said man was seen rapidly leaving the club.

“Good on you Sergei..” Magnus held his cup aloft in a mock toast, reflecting that at times schadenfreude was indeed a wonderful thing and simultaneously wondering if that made him a bad person.

It was only when he switched to his Twitter feed that things changed. Overnight there had been a flurry of activity and reading all the tweets sent to him his nerves returned with a vengeance.

He shouldn’t really be surprised, after all he had gone out of his way to invite fans to Pandemonium, but the wealth of photos and videos of him and Alec together was overwhelming.

Magnus’ finger hovered over the keyboard before curiosity got the better of him and he played one of the videos. The lighting was poor but there was no mistaking it, someone had filmed him and Alec dancing and that kiss, that magical, wonderful life changing kiss. Subconsciously Magnus ran his thumb over his lips as he watch the clip, all the confirmation that he hadn't dreamt it.

The loud buzzing of his phone brought him back to reality and glancing at the screen he noticed a text from Alec, unable to keep the smile from his face.

_Hey, are you awake?_

Magnus smiled as he began to type, not really surprised that Alec was an early riser.

_Morning sunshine. To answer your question, yes I am._

Waiting for the reply, Magnus began to run through potential outfits in his mind.

_Good, great, ‘cos I’m kinda outside. I can come back later, if you like._

Magnus laughed out loud. Common sense told him it would be better to ask Alec to come back later but honestly the thought of seeing Alec was just too tempting and instead he found himself practically jogging to the door in a most undignified way.

It seemed like a lifetime but realistically it was probably less than a minute later that a familiar dark head came wandering down the corridor and if, in the interim, Magnus had stood by his open door trying to find the most suitably alluring pose to strike, no one was to know, were they?

Suffice to say it was totally worth it when Alec looked up and saw him, his face blushing bright crimson as he took in Magnus’ bare chest.

“Shit, sorry. I woke you up..” Alec apologised before holding out one of the styrofoam cups he was holding. “I brought coffee, no idea what it is but Izzy wrote down your favourite so..”

Magnus felt the now familiar flutter in his stomach at Alec’s words. The thought that Alec had gone out of his way to get him something that he liked was surprisingly touching especially as he’d clearly had to ask his sister and no doubt undergo a grilling in the process.

“You didn't have to do that Alexander..” Magnus grabbed the cup gratefully whilst waving his other arm to indicate that Alec should come in.

“Yeah but I wanted to..” Alec rubbed his neck, a small smile playing at his lips as he entered the hallway.

There was a strange kind of tension as Alec walked into the loft which Magnus wasn't entirely sure what to do about.

“Well it’s good to see you anyway. I must say, whilst I didn't expect you so early, it's a more than pleasant surprise..” Magnus tried to keep his voice light but it was increasingly difficult when all he wanted to do was throw himself at Alec who was wearing a denim shirt that clung almost indecently to his chiselled torso.

Seemingly Alec was having a similar dilemma, judging by the flush on his face and the way his eyes kept flitting down to Magnus’ exposed chest. Honestly, Magnus really wished he’d stop unconsciously licking his lips because when it came to Alec Lightwood his self control was seriously paper thin.

Tying his robe around himself, Magnus settled into an armchair as Alec sat on the sofa, not wishing to put himself in temptation's path more than was strictly necessary and knowing that, above all else, they really needed to talk.

“So I take it you got home ok? It looked as though you had your hands full with Jace.” Magnus laughed, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

“You don't know the half of it.” Alec groaned, rolling his eyes as Magnus pulled the lid off his coffee cup and took an experimental sip.

“Good?” Alec nodded towards the drink.

“Perfect.” Magnus reassured. “Now tell all because believe you me, my sister was quite a challenge once we finally got the pair of them separated. I’m only glad she was staying with Simon or I’m not sure Luke and Jocelyn would’ve forgiven me.”

Alec’s subsequent laughter made Magnus’ stomach flip and he felt some of the tension leave his shoulders.

“If it's any consolation I had to put up with Jace going on and on about her all the way back. According to him she’s the most perfect woman to ever walk the earth.” Alec reached for his cup and took a sip.

“Ah, so I don't have to worry about getting all big brother protective on him about taking advantage then.”

“No. Although I’m not sure it's any easier thinking about what the two of them’ll get up to if they do actually get together for real.” Alec shrugged.

“Oh god. I hadn't thought of that.” Magnus shuddered rather theatrically as Alec just raised an eyebrow.

For a moment neither of them was sure what to say and the silence stretched between them. Finally, it was Alec who spoke.

“So…I had a good time last night, great really.” Alec fiddled with his coffee cup anxiously.

“Me too..” Magnus replied softly, scared to address the elephant in the room.

“I…” Alec looked up at Magnus through his eyelashes and Magnus felt his heart begin to beat erratically. “Look, I’m not good with words so I’m just gonna say it right?’

Magnus nodded, barely able to breathe.

“Okay.” Alec looked down again before composing himself and meeting Magnus’ gaze once more. “Last night, well it was probably the best night I've ever had and I don't want you to think it was because of the alcohol or Camille or whatever. I just, I've never met anyone like you before and I meant it when I said I think you’re amazing, ok? I mean, I get it if you just want to stay friends but I guess I needed you to know that..”

Magnus had left his chair and was on his knees in front of Alec before he even had chance to think things through.

“Alexander.” Magnus whispered, plucking the coffee cup from his hands and placing it on the table beside him. “I meant everything I said too, and just so you know, I think you’re pretty good with words.”

Alec stared back at him, almost in disbelief. Magnus sucked in a deep breath before continuing.

“It’s just I worry..” Magnus had to look away to avoid the disappointment on Alec’s face. “Alexander, you've seen what my life is like and I know that being in the limelight isn't something you want and I…”

“Hey.” Alec spoke softly, laying his palm against Magnus’ cheek to turn him to face him. “I get it, I do, but the thing is I don't care about any of that, not if you're there. I really don't. You know what, my life isn’t easy either, I mean the next few months there's going to be a lot of training to do. The thing is I can’t stop thinking about you, ever, and I know whatever difficulties there are you will always be worth it.”

Alec looked at him with devastating honesty and Magnus was pretty sure he felt his heart melt. For once in his life he didn't have the words but for some reason staring into Alec’s beautiful eyes, it really didn't feel like any of that mattered, that the biggest difficulty he could face would be not having this wonderful man in his life.

Leaning forward, Alec placed his other palm on Magnus’ cheek, holding his gaze with such an intensity it made Magnus shiver.

“From what I hear, all relationships take effort..” It was little more than a whisper and yet the effect was devastating on Magnus because he was entirely right and if there was anyone on this planet worth making an effort for, worth taking a risk for, it was undoubtedly Alec Lightwood. He’d been a fool to think anything else.

  
Smiling softly to himself and emboldened by his realisation, Magnus raised up to his knees and stopped fighting the irresistible pull he’d felt since the moment he’d met Alec.

“I’m all for effort,” he whispered, only briefly catching Alec’s smile before it all became too much and he just gave in and let himself fall.

The moment their lips met the last of his doubts disappeared because nothing in his life had ever felt as right as being with Alec like this. It was more than just attraction and chemistry, Magnus had felt those things before, no, their connection was so much more intense than anything he’d ever known. It felt like coming home.

Magnus wasn't sure who pulled back first but neither of them moved far, simply resting their heads together, both grinning like idiots whilst simultaneously a little short of breath.

“So…” Alec spoke first and the husky tone to his voice did nothing to calm down Magnus’ racing pulse.

“So..I was thinking..” Magnus began.

“Uh-huh..”

“Maybe it’s time we dropped the fake part of our fake dating arrangement.” Even this close, there was no mistaking the ear to ear smile on Alec’s face.

“Yeah let’s do that..”

When their lips met again it was different once more, filled with joy and all the uncertainty gone. It was still soft and beautiful and sent the blood thrumming through his veins but lacked the urgency of before, as if now, they both knew that this was the first of many kisses and there was all the time in the world.

Alec’s hands moved down to his shoulders as he pulled back a little.

“Hey, how about I take you out for breakfast?” He asked shyly.

“You mean, like a date.” Magnus smirked.

“Yeah, exactly like that.” Alec’s hands gripped his shoulders as if afraid to let go.

“Or we could just stay here…” Magnus raised an eyebrow suggestively. It was curious really, he’d been the one to suggest taking things slow but somehow now it seemed like the worst idea ever.

Alec leaned back on the sofa, laughing softly as Magnus sat back on his heels.

“Hey, taking it slow remember..” he laughed, his eyes flitting down to Magnus’ chest and back up again.

“Well, yes..” Magnus conceded before breaking into a wicked grin and rising to his feet, only to slowly straddle Alec’s lap. “But I also remember wanting to talk first and well..”

“We’ve done that?” Alec raised an eyebrow whilst tentatively placing his hands on Magnus’ silk clad hips.

“And strictly speaking, we’ve been dating for a month…” Magnus slid his hands up Alec’s arms and around his neck.

“This is true..” Alec murmured.

“So…?” Magnus paused as he felt Alec dig his fingers in slightly.

The way Alec crashed their lips together was answer enough and if he’d thought that the way Alec kissed him before was incredible, this was something else entirely. This was the sort of kiss that was nothing short of earth shattering, the kind that set a fire burning in your belly and obliterated all sense of rational thought leaving only pure need in its path.

Magnus’ hands tangled in Alec’s hair and as he tugged lightly he felt him moan against his mouth. Taking full advantage, Magnus couldn't help but deepen the kiss, delighting in the feel of their tongues exploring as Alec’s hands moved up his back, pulling them inexorably closer.

It was like being caught in a whirlpool and never wanting to escape and when Alec shifted slightly, turning them so Magnus fell back on the sofa, he was powerless to resist wanting nothing more than to feel Alec’s body pressed up against him.

The reality of being this close to Alec was better than he could possibly of imagined, the shy awkward gymnast turning into a confidently eager participant as their bodies fitted perfectly together. Gasping for air Magnus pulled back a little, only for Alec to move his attention to his neck, kissing downwards until he found Magnus’ pulse point.

“Alexander Lightwood, there was me thinking you were so innocent.” Magnus groaned.

“In some ways..” Alec whispered into his ear before taking his earlobe into his mouth and nibbling it.

The moan that escaped Magnus’ lips was positively wicked as Alec moved to suck on his neck in a way that was bound to leave bruises but he honestly couldn’t care less as he desperately clung to Alec’s back, his hands moving lower until he finally felt Alec’s warm skin under his palms.

They were so close that the buttons on Alec’s shirt were digging into Magnus’ skin and still it wasn't enough, his legs wrapped around Alec’s hips, trying to pull him closer. When Alec sucked on that point on Magnus’ neck that always drove him wild, he couldn't help but buck his hips upward, throwing his head back in ecstasy as he felt Alec begin to lose control too.

“Darling, maybe we should move this to somewhere more comfortable.” Magnus managed to gasp out as Alec trailed his lips lower, enjoying the exquisite pain of them marking his collarbone.

Alec chuckled and paused for a second, resting his chin on Magnus’ chest, looking up in mock innocence.

“Now why would that be..” Magnus wanted to groan as Alec batted his eyelashes.

“Because darling, I like this sofa.’ Magnus pulled Alec up to face him and pecked him lightly on the lips. “And if you carry on like this there’s a real danger I’ll end up making quite a mess of it.”

The expression on Alec’s face was nothing short of smug as he closed the distance between them.

“Maybe I’d enjoy that..” he whispered mischievously, his breath tickling Magnus’ face.

“Alexander..” Magnus was practically whining such was the effect Alec had on him.

Alec rolled his hips, slowly and deliberately and Magnus swore he saw stars before abruptly standing up, leaving him a shivering, wanting mess. It was a whole new side of Alec that Magnus had not expected but was more than pleased to discover.

Magnus felt weak with desire as Alec offered him his hand and pulled him to his feet before manoeuvring them towards the bedroom.

………….

Alec felt like his whole body was more alive than he’d ever known before as he slowly walked Magnus towards the bedroom, neither able to keep their hands off each other.

He wasn't exactly inexperienced but this, being here with Magnus, was nothing like he’d ever known before. It wasn't just about lust, although there was undeniably that there too, there was so much more, a lightness and joy he’d never felt before.

Magnus’ fingers were clumsily undoing his shirt and Alec stumbled a little, hopping on one foot as he struggled to get his boots off, both of them laughing like teenagers. It wasn't perfect but it’s very imperfection and the ease of just being together made it everything Alec could’ve wanted and more.

Somewhere along the way Magnus lost his robe and Alec felt almost overwhelmed by the feel of his perfect tawny skin under his fingers and for those abs, well he was quite sure that they were sculpted by God himself.

As they reached the foot of the bed Magnus spun him round and threw him onto it with remarkable strength before immediately crawling on top of him.

“Well that was graceful..” Magnus teased, pulling back a little.

“Gymnast.” Alec pointed to himself, laughing.

“Oh Ok..” Magnus tilted his head and cocked an eyebrow before diving back in.

Clearly frustrated, Magnus gave up on the rest of the buttons, resorting to simply ripping Alec’s shirt open and he really couldn't care less, not when it meant feeling Magnus pressed up against him with no annoying clothing getting in the way.

His whole body was thrumming, pulse ringing in his ears as he parted his legs so Magnus slotted between them and it felt as natural as breathing.

Magnus’ hands were running up and down his sides and it wasn't enough anymore as he tried to pull him closer, desperate for some sort of friction.

“Magnus..” Alec gasped as Magnus mouthed at his neck making his vision white out from sheer pleasure. “God, I love you..”

The words were out of his mouth before he even had time to process them, and the worst part was that it was impossible to deny it as just the heat of the moment because it was utterly true. He was completely in love with Magnus Bane.

Magnus paused, pulling back a little and gazing down at him in wonder. For a moment Alec considered backtracking but it was too late, there’d been more than enough lies between them.

Reaching a palm up to Magnus’ face, Alec rubbed a thumb along his cheekbone.

“I love you, Magnus. I do. I don't expect you to say it back but I needed you to know..”

Magnus looked at him, all frivolity gone, his face a mask of sincerity.

“I love you too, Alexander Lightwood..” Such simple words and yet Magnus said them with such conviction that Alec felt like his heart could burst with happiness.

Before he had time to savour those words Magnus was kissing him again with such intensity it took his breath away and all Alec could do was lose himself in the moment, the sensation of having the man he loved in his arms and more than that, the man who loved him too.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I hope that was ok for you....as ever feel free to shout at me ...I love to hear your thoughts x


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we’re really near the end of the story now (sobs quietly) and just a few loose ends to tie up really....
> 
> Some malec fluff to start off with .....and a teeny bit of angst..don’t worry no malec angst I promise:-)
> 
> Anyway I hope you enjoy it...

Magnus wasn’t entirely sure if he was capable of moving and was equally sure that he really, really didn’t want to find out. No, waking up with his head resting on Alec’s shoulder, held in his tight embrace, was probably the best feeling in the world.

Shifting his head slightly, he took the opportunity to watch Alec’s peaceful expression as he slept and the whole thing seemed just too good to be true, and yet, it was.

Alec murmured softly in his sleep and Magnus couldn't help feel it was one of the most adorable sounds he’d ever heard. Snuggling in closer Magnus ran his fingers over Alec’s chest, the feel of his warm skin and chest hair under his fingertips rapidly becoming a new addiction and one he never wanted to lose.

It should be terrifying, lying here naked and tangled up with the man of his dreams, ordinarily it would’ve been and whilst there was still the ever present worry in his mind that Alec would leave, it was quieter and less intrusive than usual. For the first time in his life Magnus felt like he was exactly where he belonged, where he was supposed to be and with that realisation came a sense of security and peace he’d never really experienced before.

Alec’s eyelids began to flutter open, and instead of moving away, he pulled Magnus closer.

“Hey..” Alec’s voice was still heavy with sleep and just the sound of it set Magnus’ heart racing.

“Hey yourself…” Magnus smiled, fingers drawing patterns on Alec’s chest.  
  
“So...that was… incredible..” Magnus couldn’t help laughing at the fact that despite spending the last few hours extensively exploring each other’s bodies, Alec had reverted to his somewhat shy self. “What?”

“Sorry… you’re just too adorable when you’re flustered.” Alec rolled his eyes but didn’t seem too upset judging by the way he was stroking up and down Magnus back.

“Yeah well, it’s your fault. You broke me..” Alec smiled, traces of his confident side returning, a side that Magnus longed to see again.

“And there was me thinking that you athletic types were supposed to have stamina...clearly I was wrong..” Magnus ended his speech with a rather undignified squeak as Alec took his opportunity to roll him over and pin him to the bed.

“Really?” Alec’s eyes glittered dangerously while Magnus tried to keep his composure as he felt the length of Alec’s muscular body holding him down.

“Seems to be that way.” Magnus managed to say, which in itself was an achievement with his body reacting uncontrollably to Alec being so near.

“Hmmm, that sounds like a challenge to me…” Alec murmured pressing impossibly closer and there was no mistaking that Alec was more than ready to make good on his words.

“Does it now?” Magnus looked innocently up at Alec, resisting every instinct he had to move, desperate to see how this would play out.

“Uh huh…” Alec grasped Magnus’ wrists and held them above his head as he began to mouth along Magnus’ jawline, and honestly, Magnus only had so much self control. Without thinking, his legs parted and wrapped around Alec’s thighs pulling them into perfect alignment, more than little pleased with the moan the action elicited from Alec.

Magnus didn’t have a chance to fully relish the sound though before Alec was rolling his hips and everything else just disappeared.

“That was cheating..” Magnus groaned, already feeling unbelievably turned on.

“Sorry…” Alec grinned before repeating the movement, making Magnus arch up towards him.

“No.. you’re not…” Magnus choked out.

“No I'm not..”

Magnus didn't have time to answer before Alec was crashing their lips together and all he could do was surrender to the feeling of kissing Alec, a feeling like no other. Each time it was different, sometimes soft and loving, sometimes hungry and desperate and this time it was something else entirely. The need for each other was there but there was more, as if Alec was pouring all his feelings into one kiss and it was impossible for Magnus not to lose himself in it, his arms straining against Alec’s firm grip.

Alec broke away first, pulling back a little and resisting Magnus’ attempts to recapture his lips.

“God, you’re so distracting..” Alec laughed, as Magnus pouted at the loss of contact. “But as I remember, you set me a challenge..”

Magnus couldn't help but moan as Alec leant down to gently mouth along his neck, his whole body writhing in anticipation.

“And I have a point to prove, so…” Alec whispered in Magnus’ ear making him shiver in anticipation.

Magnus tightened his legs around Alec and ground their hard lengths together, smirking a little as Alec gasped.

“Oh it's on…” Alec panted before slowly starting to make his way down Magnus’ chest. “Now no moving your hands or I’ll stop..”

“Not that I’m complaining...but I’m not sure how this proves your stamina.” Magnus queried breathlessly as Alec continued paying attention to every inch of Magnus’ chest in way that was thorough to say the least.

Alec paused in his ministrations and Magnus had to bite his lip to hold back a groan of frustration. Resting his chin on Magnus’ chest, Alec looked up at him.

“Well I need to know what I have to live up to, don't I?” As he spoke Alec slid his hand down and began toying with Magnus’ nipple, rolling it gently between his fingertips in a way that made him doubt his ability to last even a few seconds under that kind of delicious torture.

“Alexander…” Magnus would’ve been embarrassed by the needy whimper Alec drew from his lips as he began to suck on his other nipple, teeth teasing at the hardened nub, were it not for the fact that all the blood rushing southwards was making it impossible to think at all.

When Alec slowly began working his way downwards, Magnus decided not to even try, choosing to conserve his energy instead.  
……………

By the time they finally managed to untangle themselves from each other it was already getting dark but Alec really couldn't care less, in fact the only thing that was bothering him was the thought that sooner or later he’d have to make his way back to the cold stone walls of the Institute.

Presently they were sat on Magnus’ oversized sofa and the fact that they’d managed to get dressed was, in itself, an achievement. It was as if now he knew he was allowed to have this with Magnus he couldn't keep his hands away from him. Fortunately it seemed Magnus was feeling exactly the same, something that Alec was more than grateful for when Magnus dropped to his knees in the shower, giving the most spectacular blow job of his entire life.

Even now, eating a ridiculously unhealthy chinese take away their legs were tangled together as if they needed the physical contact to survive.

Finishing off his moo shu pork Alec put the container down on the table and sighed unhappily.

“I guess I should head off…” It was the last thing he wanted, but sadly, he knew it was something he had to do.

“I know…” Magnus poked his noodles thoughtfully with his chopsticks.

“I don't want to..”

“I don't want you to either..” Magnus smiled at him reassuringly. “But you need to keep your training up. I really don't fancy dealing with a hoard of rabid gymnastic fans beating down my door because Alec Lightwood missed out on his gold medal as he was too busy cosying up with his boyfriend.”

Alec grinned, a warm glow in his stomach at the ease with which Magnus had used that word, boyfriend.

“Anyway, I’ve not got much on for the next week so whenever you’ve got a spare moment you are more than welcome to just come over.” There was a hopeful look on Magnus’ face that was just irresistible.

“I’d be careful what you say or I’ll be practically moving in..” Alec was only half joking.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing…” Magnus leant forward and captured Alec’s lips, soft and loving and it took every inch of resolve for Alec not to just tug him closer.

“See if you say the same when Izzy and Jace are turning up every five seconds..”

“You make a valid point..” Magnus tilted his head thoughtfully to one side. “Nope, still worth it..”

“Say that again in a few months..” Alec laughed.

“I like the sound of that..” Magnus beamed.

………….

Alec couldn't stop smiling all the way back to the Institute, still finding it hard to believe the day had gone the way it had. He could even cope with the inevitable grilling from his siblings which he knew, without a doubt, was going to happen judging by the multiple text messages and voicemails on his phone when he finally retrieved it, none of which he had bothered to check yet.

Even stepping into the foyer of the Institute, which he’d always found to be austere and imposing, didn't diminish his good mood.

As he rounded the corner towards his room there was a flurry of activity as a small figure came hurtling forward throwing himself at him.

“Max…” Alec barely had time to work out what was going on before he had an armful of his baby brother, who knocked him to his knees. “Hey, I didn't expect you here till tomorrow..”

“Nah, me neither but Mom insisted we come back early. God knows what’s going on with her but she was seriously pissed off, more than usual..” Max shrugged and instantly Alec’s good mood began to fade.

Hearing the staccato sound of high heels tapping along the corridor he felt his shoulders tense, unable to shake the feeling that his parents rapid return must have something to do with the events of the weekend, although not really sure how they could have known.

“Max, go to your room.” Maryse snapped as she came into view.

“But Mom..” Max pouted dramatically, a habit he had undoubtedly picked up from Isabelle and seemingly now perfected.

“I said now...I need to talk to your brother..” Maryse folded her arms and tapped her toe impatiently on the wooden floor.

“I never get to hear the good stuff..” Max moaned before sloping off towards his room, shoulders hunched.

Alec slowly rose to his full height and folded his arms, mimicking his mother's posture.

“My office. Now.” Without waiting for an answer Maryse stalked off, not even questioning that Alec would follow.

As soon as Alec stepped into the office it felt like the temperature dropped about twenty degrees due to the ice cold stare his mother gave him as she sat down in her chair on the other side of the desk.

“Mother, what is this about?” Alec stood rigidly in front of her - hands clasped behind his back.

“Close the door and sit down..” Maryse didn't even look as Alec closed the door, more concerned with fiddling with her laptop instead.

“I said sit down..” Maryse glared over the laptop screen as she noticed Alec was still standing.

“I’d rather not..” There was no way Alec wanted to be on the same eyeline as his mother, for once determined to use his height as an advantage.

“Suit yourself.” Maryse tapped away on the laptop, probably hoping that her default approach of cold silence would force Alec to comply but this was a contest of wills that he wasn't prepared to let his mother win.

Hearing the door open and close behind him Alec noticed his father enter the room and move to stand beside his mother, a somewhat apologetic look on his face.

“What have you done Alexander...to us...to this Institute…” Maryse spun the laptop round to show the grainy image of him and Magnus kissing in Pandemonium. “This is all over the internet now. How are we supposed to keep any form of credibility when our gymnasts are seen making such a fool of themselves so close to the world championships?”

Alec gritted his teeth as he weathered the full force of his mother’s anger, his father, as usual, standing idly by.

“And then I come back to find you are off god knows where with that man when I foolishly left you in charge of the Institute in our absence. I expect such behaviour from your siblings but of you, I thought better, clearly I was wrong.”

As Maryse continued to stare at him something inside Alec snapped and instead of meekly accepting her words he felt himself ready to fight back.

“Excuse me but weren't you the one who pushed for the whole arrangement in the first place. I thought you’d be grateful for the publicity.” Alec straightened his shoulders and glared back at his mother with equal ferocity.

“Publicity yes, but this...what were you thinking, Alec?” Maryse snapped.

“What exactly is your problem here? You got what you wanted, shouldn’t you be happy?” Alec fired back.

“I most definitely didn't want this sort of spectacle associated with us. Well it ends here, no more. I forbid it.”

“No..”

“Alec I think what your mother is trying to say is that we’re just worried about how this will affect your training regime. Surely you must see that. I understand you were just doing what we asked but this, well it’s taking it too far and anyone would think the two of you were actually together.” Robert placed a hand on his wife’s shoulder as if trying to hold her back.

“Well, we are. Together I mean, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.” Alec took a great deal of satisfaction from the look of sheer horror on his mother’s face. “I know you’re still under the misguided belief that someday I’ll settle down and find some nice woman to marry but as far as I can tell it’s high time you just got over yourselves and accepted things for what they are. I'm gay and I have a boyfriend, deal with it..”

“How dare you…” Maryse hissed as Robert's hand clenched tighter on her shoulder.

“Alec please, we’re just worried about you and Magnus Bane, well…” Robert began.

“What, because he’s a man?”

“The fact that he’s a man is the least of my worries, Alexander.” Maryse slammed the laptop shut and tapped her fingers on the case.

“What your mother means is he has quite the reputation as a playboy and…” Robert began before Maryse angrily shook off his hand.

“I am quite capable of speaking for myself, thank you.” She glared at her husband before turning to Alec and trying a somewhat softer approach. “You are reaching a critical point in your training and the last thing you need is distraction, especially from someone who has no comprehension of the sacrifices required…”

“You're wrong.” Alec snapped, unable to hold back any longer. “Magnus knows exactly how much work is needed and he’s even helping me.”

“Oh don’t think I don't know about that either.” Maryse snorted. “Allowing Luke Garroway into this Institute..”

“What? ” For the first time in the conversation Alec was lost for words. Surely the opportunity for extra coaching could only be a positive thing. Apparently not.

“You have more than enough coaches here without allowing someone who turned his back on the sport years ago for no apparent reason to meddle with your training regime. If that’s an example of Mr Bane’s influence, I think it rather proves my point.” Maryse sat back victoriously, satisfied that she’d won the argument.

“You're wrong.” Alec spoke through gritted teeth, trying not to lose his temper.

“Excuse me…” Maryse looked shocked for a second before her face returned to its stone cold expression.

“You heard me. You’re wrong. In one day’s training Luke helped me more with the pommel than years of Institute coaching and he is going to continue helping me whether you like it or not…”

“I absolutely will not allow it..” Maryse leaned forward on her desk, staring down Alec with a look that would usually lead to him acquiescing, but this time it was different. He thought back over the last few weeks, how Magnus had helped him, Luke too, and finally the conversation he’d had with his brother. Jace was right, how he hadn't seen it before he didn't know, but he had all the power and for too long he’d willingly given it up to his mother.

“Enough…” Alec snapped moving around to the side of the desk and leaning down to his mother’s eyeline. “You have no say in this, none. So let me tell you what’s going to happen. I'm going to continue seeing Magnus and Luke is going to be welcome into the Institute whenever he’s free to and you are damn well going to get used to it or...”

“We leave, all of us…” In his anger he hadn't noticed the office door open and it was only when Jace spoke that he realised his siblings were standing defiantly in the doorway.

“You wouldn't dare…” Maryse glanced frantically between her children and there was no mistaking the panic in her eyes, although there was something else there that Alec couldn’t quite place. It looked almost like sadness.

“Try us.” Izzy put her hands on her hips and glared at her mother, and honestly, Alec could have hugged his siblings for their support.

“Right, let’s all calm down..” Robert raised his hands to try and placate everyone but Alec just ignored him.

“You know what, I'm done here. You can call me when you've come to your senses otherwise tomorrow I’m looking for a new training facility, somehow I don't think it’ll be too difficult..” Without waiting for an answer Alec turned and left the room, not wanting his mother to see the smile on his face.

Jace and Izzy sprinted down the corridor after him, Jace slapping him on the back happily.

“Bro, that was awesome. Man, you should've seen her face...seriously, getting laid is good for you..” Jace grinned.

“Shut up…” Alec complained half heartedly.

“And he doesn't deny it..” Jace fist bumped Izzy.

“Alec, I'm so proud of you..” Izzy laughed.

“Yeah, thanks.” Alec stopped walking, the adrenalin wearing off and not really sure what his next move should be.

“Hey, what’s the matter?” Izzy looked at him concerned.

“I'm just not sure what to do next…” Alec admitted feeling a little foolish. Normally it was his siblings that threw tantrums and walked out and now it was his turn he genuinely wasn’t sure what his next step was.

“Oh that’s easy… now we leave and let them stew..” Jace shrugged.

…………

Magnus was pretty sure he hadn't stopped smiling since Alec left and he didn't even feel self indulgent for lying in bed watching Netflix just so he could be somewhere that still smelt of Alec.

As his phone buzzed his stomach fluttered with excitement the caller id telling him it was Alec. He hadn't expected to hear from him so soon but was over the moon that he was already getting in touch.

“Alexander, this is an unexpected surprise..not that I’m complaining at all.”

 _“I’d wait to hear what I have to say first…”_ Alec laughed softly, somewhat reassuring Magnus’ worries.

“Are you ok?”

_“Um well…”_

Ten minutes later Magnus was opening the door having listened patiently to Alec’s story and insisting that both he and his siblings should come to the loft.

“When you said your brother and sister would be around every five minutes I really didn't expect it to be so soon..” Magnus teased as the trio entered the room.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you..” Alec shrugged.

“Hey, you know you love us, man..” Jace commented as he walked by and made himself at home on the sofa.

“Thanks for this.” Izzy winked as she left them to join Jace, giving Alec and him at least a moment of privacy.

“How are you doing? Really?” Magnus moved closer and ran his hand up Alec’s arm.

“Honestly?” Magnus nodded in response. “I guess I'm still in shock really. I mean, I know it was the right thing to do but..”

“Hey, look at me..” Magnus gently placed his palm on Alec’s cheek. “I get it. It’s a lot..”

“Yeah..”

“Trust me, it’ll work out..”

…………

Alec couldn't have been more grateful to have Magnus here after what had happened that evening, and if truth be told, he was still anxious as to what his mother’s response to his ultimatum would be.

Fortunately everyone had gone out of their way to take his mind off things, Izzy and Jace rapidly settling down and choosing a movie to watch and insisting on ordering pizza despite his protestations that he’d eaten already.

As it turned out, it was the perfect distraction, not only was Izzy’s pick of “Wonder Woman” a surprisingly good choice but the discussion between Jace and Magnus of the merits of pineapple on pizza had become so heated it was practically impossible to think about anything else.

It was almost at the end of the movie when a notification flagged up on his phone indicating that his mother had emailed. It wasn't really a surprise that Maryse hadn't called but if he was honest, it was a shock that she’d bothered responding at all.

Alec hovered his finger uncertainly over the phone screen, not sure if he was ready to deal with reality just yet. Clearly sensing his change in mood, Magnus moved closer and squeezed his hand in reassurance and it gave him the courage to open the email.

“Hey, what the hell..” Jace complained as Izzy paused the movie before noticing what was going on. “Oh right… look buddy, just remember, whatever she says we’re all in this together..”

“Damn right.” Izzy nodded in agreement.

After smiling gratefully at his siblings Alec began to read what his mother had written.

 _Alexander,_  
 _I have thought long and hard about what you said and have come to realise that you are entirely correct._  
I know I’ve always been hard on you, harder than anyone else and for that I am truly sorry. Please understand I have always wanted what is best for you and, at times, I haven't really taken the time to listen to what you need.  
It is not always easy to be both a parent and in charge of someone's career and somewhere along the line I forgot that I should always be a parent first.  
I don't say this often enough but I am proud of who you’ve become, even if it doesn't seem like it sometimes. My actions have always come from the misguided belief that I was protecting you from the way the world can be.  
What I didn't realise until tonight was how I was pushing you away by trying to turn you into something you're not and I only hope that one day you can find it in your heart to forgive me.  
I cannot promise that I’ll be able to let go of all my bad habits overnight but I can promise I will try every day.  
I do love you Alexander, although I know it doesn't seem like it by my actions but perhaps this can be a new start for both of us.  
I understand if you need more time but I hope that you will find it in your heart to give me a chance to prove my words.  
Love, Mom

At some point during reading the message tears had started to roll down Alec’s cheek and when he looked up it was to find Magnus, Izzy and Jace all huddled around him, faces filled with concern.

Unable to find the words, he simply handed the phone over to Izzy and the three of them read in silence.

“Woah….” Jace exclaimed when he’d finished.

“Yeah..” Alec sniffed, wiping the tears away roughly with the back of his hand.

“Well that was unexpected..” Izzy laughed, lightening the mood somewhat.

“No kidding..” Jace agreed as Magnus squeezed his hand.

“I'm so pleased for you, darling.” Magnus whispered so only Alec could hear.

Still feeling a little shocked, Alec pulled Magnus into a hug, needing to feel his strong arms around him.

“Thank you.” He whispered in Magnus’ ear. “For giving me the strength to stand up for myself.”

“Oh Alexander, that was all you..” Magnus smiled, pulling him closer. “I’m just glad your mother saw sense.”

“Yeah, I guess I needed that more than I thought..”

“Of course you did, darling. She’s your mother, after all.” Magnus pulled back a little and smiled softly and Alec couldn’t resist closing the distance between them, as if by kissing Magnus everything would seem more real.

“Hey, get a room you two..” Jace aiming a cushion at the pair of them effectively broke the mood but Alec couldn’t find it within himself to be angry.

As he looked around the room it dawned on him, with his siblings and his boyfriend with him, that somehow over the last few weeks his life had changed immeasurably for the better, and for once, he was excited to see what the future would hold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So....you know I love hearing from you :-)
> 
> Essentially there’s just an epilogue type affair to go then the story’s done ....
> 
> Thank you all for taking the time to read this 
> 
> Tigs xox


	26. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so here we have it...the last chapter...not gonna lie this has been super tough to write so I hope it’s ok.
> 
> Huge thanks to everyone who’s read this and left kudos and comments...you are all amazing and I can’t thank you enough.
> 
> Last and by no means least the hugest thank you ever to my wonderful beta @ladymatt who has been an total pillar of support throughout and betas this chapter so fast....ILY Cariad

**FIVE MONTHS LATER**

  
Magnus jiggled his leg anxiously, his only tell despite his outward appearance of calm. Around him the stadium was filled with crowds excitedly watching the day's events and flags of multiple different countries fluttered above him. He was sitting right at the front of the stands, a location reserved for friends and families of the competitors and other VIPs, and beside him Clary and Simon chatted animatedly. Jocelyn watched them, an amused smile on her face. Despite their prime location, all Magnus wanted was to be near to Alec and the fact that he could see him clearly, talking intently with Hodge, seemed to make it even worse.

“Relax Magnus.” Luke chuckled as he slipped into the seat next to him.

“I am relaxed.” Magnus protested but judging by Luke’s raised eyebrow, he wasn’t convinced. “Ok fine, I’m not. It’s just I know how much this means to him, how hard he’s worked and…”

“Hey, I get it. I promise you he’s gonna be fine, better than fine…” Luke replied placing his hand on Magnus’ leg to stop it moving.

For once at a loss for words, Magnus just nodded, eyes fixed on the distinctive dark haired figure now chatting to Jace and Maryse. He looked remarkably calm and that in itself managed to reassure Magnus somewhat.

“It’s about to start.” Clary squeaked excitedly having turned her attention from Simon back to her brother. “What position is Alec starting in again?”

“Seven..” Magnus managed to choke out despite his mouth feeling like it was full of sawdust because he was so anxious.

There was something about knowing that the next half an hour was the culmination of all that Alec had been working towards that was making his heart beat erratically in his chest. Logically he knew that any result would be simply the icing on the cake, Alec was already sitting comfortably in the overall silver medal position after an unsurprisingly convincing victory in the high bar finals, but he knew that doing well in pommel was something Alec really wanted.

It’d taken weeks of training with Luke, Alec pushing himself further and further out of his comfort zone but somehow Alec had fallen in love with the equipment. Even Magnus felt invested, especially when Alec had insisted that his teaching him t’ai chi had helped immeasurably, despite more than a few of their sessions ending in a very different type of exercise. Now, after a long day of apparatus finals, the last competition was for the pommel gold medal and Alec’s last chance to compete before the overall final positions were decided.

“Cool. He’s gonna do great.” Clary winked, apparently thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere in the arena.

“It’s alright for you, your boyfriend's already done for the day..” Magnus grumbled as he watched a very relaxed Jace wandering around the training area laughing and joking with the other athletes. He’d only just missed out on a place in the final himself, his tenth spot in qualifying being not quite enough to make the grade.

Despite his worries, ever since the night at Pandemonium Clary and Jace had become largely inseparable and even Alec grudgingly admitted his sister had had a calming influence on Jace.

‘Yeah but remember I’m the one who’s gonna have to deal with it if Alec knocks him off the gold medal position…” Clary laughed, not that Magnus believed her at all. One of the things he’d learnt over the last few months was that the brothers were endlessly supportive of each other. At the end of the day, whoever ended up second would be too busy being proud of the other to even consider being jealous.

The first competitor stepped up to the pommel and a hush descended on the arena as he began his routine.

“Not bad.” Luke had leant forward, completely absorbed as he watched the gymnast perform, occasionally commenting on a specific manoeuvre.

Magnus’ brain was buzzing with questions. Was the gymnast a threat to Alec? Did Alec now have to perform even better? He’d qualified top for the pommel finals, much to everyone’s surprise, but did he now have to up his game once more ?

Fortunately the none too subtle appearance of Catarina and Ragnor, shuffling noisily into the seats just behind them, distracted him temporarily.

“Did we miss anything?” Catarina leaned forward, resting her chin on Magnus’ shoulder.

“Not yet no...Alec’s on next to last..” Magnus murmured, eyes glued to the floor where the fourth competitor was getting ready to perform.

“And this is..?” Catarina pointed toward the gymnast.

“Number 4...out of 8, so….” Magnus was biting his lip almost to the point of making it bleed.

“Well, as far as I see it, there’s no need to worry..” Ragnor looked remarkably relaxed as he sat back in his chair, rolling his eyes when Magnus shot him a glare. “Oh don't be so superstitious. Alec’s qualification was far superior to the others and there’s no reason to expect his routine to be anything short of spectacular. Do have a little faith Magnus.”

Logically Magnus knew he was correct but that didn't stop the nerves clawing at his insides.

“Anyway, you’ll be glad to hear the footage from today was spectacular. It’s already been sent off and let me tell you, they were very pleased.” Ragnor added almost nonchalantly and Magnus was more than grateful for his friends attempt at distraction.

Although it had only been a few months, so much had changed. For one, Magnus and Alec’s relationship had gone from strength to strength with Alec due to move into the loft immediately after the world championships. News of the internet dream pair hadn’t failed to spread and not only had Alec managed to bag some lucrative sponsorship deals but Magnus’ show had seen a steady rise in ratings and he’d even managed to get the role of roving reporter on ‘Ellen’. Alec joked that Magnus was his lucky charm but, for Magnus, it seemed more like it was the other way round.

It had also meant that Magnus had the perfect excuse to travel up to Canada with his boyfriend, not that he really needed one, and Alec couldn't complain about him putting his career on hold for him as he’d not only managed to fill some guest spots for the ‘High Warlock’ but he’d also done some reporting for Ellen.

Clary grabbed his hand, gripping tightly, and Magnus turned back to see Alec stripping off his tracksuit and beginning to make his way towards the apparatus and he swore he couldn't breathe.

_“Representing the USA, Alec Lightwood.”_ A distorted voice announced over the tannoy as Alec stood by the pommel one arm raised as he acknowledged the judges and the crowd and Magnus really hoped he noticed him frantically blowing kisses in his direction. In fact he was pretty sure he saw a small smile on Alec’s lips although it was hard to be sure from this distance.

Magnus couldn't drag his eyes from him as he stepped up to begin, unconsciously grabbing Luke’s hand as well and holding on with a vice like grip. Fortunately he knew the routine was only short because he was pretty sure he’d forgotten how to breathe.

…………

It was a curious feeling as Alec stepped up to begin his routine, ordinarily he felt the nerves surging through him but for some reason today he felt strangely calm, almost as if this was the culmination of all the wonderful changes he’s been through in the last few months.

As he turned to the judges and then the crowds, out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of Magnus, his attention drawn to him as if no one else existed, and he couldn't help but smile. Just having him there made him feel that there was nothing he couldn’t achieve, no challenge too hard, after all, if someone had told him a year ago what his life would’ve been like now he would never have believed them and all of that was, at least in part, thanks to Magnus.

Y _ou’ve got this, Lightwood_

Alec positioned himself, ready to begin.

“Right then old girl, let’s show them what we can do…” he murmured under his breath, a habit he’d definitely acquired from Luke.

The routine itself felt like it was over in seconds and before Alec even had a chance to think he was standing on the mat again, feet rock solid after a perfect dismount. It was only after standing for a few seconds that everything came back into focus and he fully heard the cheers from the crowd. As he made his way back to the waiting area he looked up into the stands to see Luke on his feet clapping his hands enthusiastically and Magnus practically jumping for joy beside him.

With an ear to ear grin he made his way down the steps off the floor, barely reaching the bottom before Izzy and Jace piled forward bundling him into a massive group hug. Behind them he saw Hodge grinning and giving a thumbs up and even his mother had a smile on her face as she tried to surreptitiously wipe away a tear.

If he’d needed any confirmation that things had gone well their reactions alone would’ve been enough, but more than that, Alec knew in his gut that he’d performed to the absolute best of his ability and that, for him, meant nothing else really mattered.

Finally untangling himself from his siblings he grabbed a towel and made his way to the benches, grabbing his tracksuit top on the way while he waited for the scores.

………………..

By the end of the day Magnus was more than grateful for the waterproof eyeliner he was wearing, knowing full well that after the emotional rollercoaster of the last few hours he’d otherwise bear a startling resemblance to a panda.

It’d felt like a lifetime waiting for Alec’s scores to come in after his, in Magnus’ opinion, spectacular display on the pommel. When the electronic scoreboard finally lit up, the stadium had erupted in cheers with Alec scoring a practically unbeatable 15.441, a significant improvement on even his impressive qualifying round.

With one competitor still to go Magnus was a nervous wreck despite Luke’s reassurance that the gold medal was without a doubt already Alec’s and, of course, he’d turned out to be entirely correct.

The look on Alec’s face when the final scores were in was possibly the best thing Magnus had ever seen and made him long to rush down to his boyfriend and hug him senseless, protocol be damned. With the gold medal for pommel now secured to add to his high bar title, Alec had earned the overall top spot.

He’d cheered so hard during the medal ceremony for the pommel that he was practically hoarse and he, quite frankly, couldn’t care less.

It was only during the overall medal ceremony that all the emotion became overwhelming and the magnitude of Alec’s achievement finally struck him. When the medals had been handed out and the national anthem finished playing it all came flooding out, tears flowing readily down his cheeks as Alec grabbed Jace from the silver medalist podium and pulled him up to share the top spot, both men holding up their bouquets of flowers, arms around each other’s shoulders as they beamed at the crowds.

Now here he was, leaning over the balcony just above the athlete’s area moments away from finally being reunited with Alec, watching as the familiar dark head made his way towards the waiting press junket.

The sound of someone clearing their throat next to him temporarily drew his attention away from the scene beneath him and as he glanced to the side he saw none other than Maryse Lightwood standing next to him, her fingers playing with the edge of the balcony the only indication of any nerves despite her outward appearance of cool indifference.

According to Alec, his mother had been making a real effort to change her ways in the last few months but Magnus had only a few interactions with her and the atmosphere between them was certainly still more than a little awkward.

“You must be very proud.” Magnus smiled hesitantly at her before nodding his head in Alec’s direction.

“I am.” Maryse replied, a ghost of a smile playing at her lips as she watched her son make his way through the journalists before turning her attention fully to Magnus, her fingers moving to play with the bag hanging from her shoulder. “And I wanted to thank you.”

“For?” Magnus brows crinkled in confusion, not entirely sure what she meant.

Seemingly unable to hold his gaze, Maryse looked over the balcony again before taking a deep breath and continuing to speak.

“I realise we didn’t get off to, shall we say, the best of starts but I hope that we can put that behind us.” Maryse glanced briefly at Magnus who simply nodded for her to continue. “I misjudged you, and for that I am sorry. I know that without you Alec could never have achieved what he’s done today and please know that I am incredibly grateful. You make my son happier than I’ve ever known him.”

“He does the same for me. Maryse, your son is without a doubt the most incredible man I have ever met and anything you feel I’ve done for him pales into insignificance compared to what he has given me.” As Magnus watched Maryse he saw her shake her head and smile, a gesture that reminded him more than a little of Alec.

“You two are very similar you know?” The expression on Maryse’s face was softer than he’d ever seen, and if he was honest, it was a little disconcerting. “I think I was so busy focusing on the differences that I failed to see it before. I’m glad you found each other.”

“Me too.” Magnus looked down at Alec again, smiling fondly, before turning his attention back to Maryse.

“Well, I should thank Luke too.” Maryse straightened up, dusting imaginary lint off her perfectly tailored jacket and reverting to her default business like attitude.

“Of course. Perhaps now there’s a little more time we could arrange some sort of family celebration meal, a chance to get to know each other a little..” Magnus tapped his fingers together lightly, concerned that perhaps he’d overstepped a little.

“I would like that Magnus, thank you.” Maryse’s smile this time was entirely genuine and Magnus felt like he caught a glimpse of the woman underneath the mask, if only for a second. “In the meantime, I’ll leave you to it. Alec shouldn’t be long and I know he’ll want to see you as soon as possible.”

Maryse raised her hand slightly as if to pat Magnus’ arm before apparently thinking better of it and rushing away.

………...

Alec wasn't sure that the reality of what had happened had fully sunk in yet and it just felt surreal dealing with the seemingly endless streams of reporters who all wanted to talk to him. If he was honest, he’d be more than glad when it was all over and the only thing that was keeping him going, apart from the small amount of adrenaline still flowing through his veins, was seeing Magnus smiling at him in encouragement.

Finally though the end was in sight and all he had to do was navigate one interview with a TV network and he could finally relax.

As he stepped towards the camera he caught sight of Magnus leaning over the balcony just above him and despite how tired he felt he couldn’t help but smile at his beautiful boyfriend.

“You OK?” He saw Magnus mouth and the fact that he was so concerned still left him with a warm glow.

“Tired but…” Alec mouthed back before nodding his head and giving a thumbs up.

Magnus held a finger up and glancing down began rummaging in his bag and Alec wondered what the hell he was up to.

He didn’t have to wait long to find out as seconds later Magnus looked up, a victorious expression on his face before throwing something down to him.

Alec caught his gift and instantly burst into laughter as he realised it was his favourite candy bar.

“So I’m here with triple gold medalist Alec Lightwood” Alec’s attention snapped back to the reporter in front of him and realised that the whole interaction had been filmed. “It’s good to see you Alec. I have to say, it’s great to see you have so much support not only from the crowds, but it looks like your friends and family are getting involved too.”

Although he blushed a little, Alec couldn't keep the smile off his face as he turned to the reporter.

“So am I allowed to ask what Magnus just gave you?” The reporter, who Alec was pretty sure was called Clare and was from the BBC, gave him a cheeky grin, nodding to where Magnus was still leaning over the balcony.

“Ah just this..” Alec held up the bar slightly guiltily but was reassured by the reporter smiling. “He says I get grumpy when my blood sugar gets low so…”

“Well you do…” Magnus shouted down and Alec rolled his eyes affectionately, smile still firmly on his face.

“Now that sounds like exactly the sort of thing my wife would say..” Alec felt reassured by the jovial smile on the woman’s face and perhaps the fact that she was so open about not being straight herself helped even more. “He’s a keeper.”

“I know…” Alec glanced up to Magnus briefly before looking back to camera and the reporter.

“First of all though, massive congratulations on your wins today. You must be over the moon.” Alec nodded at her words. “I have to say a lot of people were pretty surprised at how well you did on the pommel. I heard a rumour you’ve been working with Luke Garroway…”

Alec relaxed more as the interview moved into the familiar territory of training and gymnastics and he happily chatted away about how his regime had changed.

  
“And honestly, when Luke told me I’d get to love the pommel, I didn’t believe him but now I have to admit he was absolutely right.” Alec chuckled, running his fingers through his hair.

“Good job you didn’t put money on it…”

“I know, but I probably owe him a drink or two at least.” Alec shrugged as the reporter nodded in agreement.

“So what’s next for Alec Lightwood, straight into training for the olympics or do you get to have some time off?”

Alec paused for a second to consider his answer. Honestly, it wasn’t something he’d really thought about, the last few weeks being so busy with training there’d been little time for anything else. Now he had the luxury of time, and more importantly, so did Magnus seeing as his filming had pretty much finished for this season.

Breaking into a grin, he knew his answer.

“Well, you know what, I think I’m gonna give myself a bit of time off. There is one thing I really want to do though..” Alec glanced up to see Magnus watching in rapt attention. “I really, really want to take Magnus away on holiday to say thank you for all he’s done for me over the last few months.”

“Well I hope both of you have a fantastic time. I’m sure I speak for all us gymnastic fans when I say I can’t wait to see what you’ve got in store for us next time around.”

Alec barely heard the words, his attention instead focused entirely on Magnus’ expression , which had gone from shocked to ecstatic in a matter of seconds as he nodded his head enthusiastically in agreement with Alec’s plan.

“And Alec, thanks for your time, congratulations and I’ll leave you to get your man..” Alec didn’t need telling twice, having finished off the interview he practically sprinted towards Magnus.

………..

It was the moment he’d been waiting for all day and whilst Magnus was aware he should probably play it cool, as he saw Alec making his way towards him everything just went out of the window. There was only one thought in his mind as he sprinted through the crowds, which seemed to magically part in front of him, Alexander.

Before he even had time to properly think, he’d reached Alec and bundled him into a hug, lifting him off the ground and spinning him around as Alec laughed joyfully.

The sounds of the crowds erupting into cheers around him brought him back to reality and he realised he was still holding Alec aloft.

“You can put me down now.” Alec chuckled as he gazed down into Magnus’ warm brown eyes.

“Well I could, but maybe I like you like this.” Magnus didn't think the smile would ever leave his lips as Alec halfheartedly rolled his eyes.

“My boyfriend’s the world champion…” Magnus shouted out to the enraptured crowd as he lifted Alec higher.

As he lowered him to the ground, Alec was still smiling and seeing him this happy made Magnus’ heart clench with joy.

“You're ridiculous.” Alec laughed as his feet touched the floor.

“You love it.” Magnus grinned, losing himself in Alec’s eyes.

“I do..” Alec murmured as he gently cupped Magnus’ face in his hands.

Magnus only stopped smiling when Alec’s lips met his and at that point, nothing else mattered. Not the crowd cheering in the background, nor the fact that undoubtedly there would be photos and videos of this moment all over the internet. No, the only thing that he cared about was the feeling of Alec’s lips moving against his as his warm rough hands held his face almost reverentially. All he could do was grip Alec’s hips and pull him towards him, striving to get as close as was physically possible and not even bothered by the cold metal of Alec’s medals, which he was still wearing, pressing into his chest.

“Hey..” Alec whispered gruffly as he pulled back only far enough to rest their foreheads together. “I’ve been wanting to do that all day..”

“Trust me, you’re not the only one.” Magnus felt like he was flying as Alec laughed.

“C’mon you two, we have some serious celebrating to do.” Isabelle teased as she joined them, batting Alec on the arm to get his attention.

“Yeah ok..” Alec stepped back a little and ran his fingers through his hair. “We’ll catch up, ok?”

In lieu of an answer Isabelle just shook her head and rolled her eyes before leaving them to catch up with Jace who was already making his way out of the stadium.

“Well, darling, shall we?” Magnus proffered an arm which Alec ignored, opting to wrap his arm around his boyfriend's waist, tugging him flush to his side.

“I s’pose.” Alec whispered in Magnus’ ear as they began to follow his sister’s lead. “But you know I am quite tired..”

Inclining his head, Magnus saw Alec looking straight ahead, the serious expression on his face somewhat ruined by the smile playing on the corners of his mouth.

“I’m sure you are..” Magnus replied.

“And I do want to thank the person who helped me the most these last few months first..” Alec raised an eyebrow slightly, his expression otherwise fairly blank.

“I’m sure Luke will appreciate that..” Magnus let out a rather ungainly squeak as Alec pulled him closer.

“You know who I mean…” Alec muttered under his breath and Magnus had to suppress a shudder as his breath tickled his cheek.

Magnus turned his head with every intention of reminding Alec that this was his achievement and no one else’s but seeing the mischievous glint in his boyfriend’s eyes he rapidly lost his train of thought.

“Is that so…” Magnus replied, barely able to think of anything else to say.

“Uh-huh.” Alec winked at him before turning to guide them through the exit door and into the corridor beyond.

“Anyway, I get to have some time off now…” Alec continued, the small smirk on his lips making Magnus wonder what he was up to.

“Well you did promise me a holiday..and on camera too, so…” Magnus shrugged.

“I did.” Alec nodded seriously. “You know there’s so many things I haven’t been able to do for a while….”

“Like?” Magnus raised an eyebrow wondering where Alec was going with the conversation.

“Well, you know eating take away, bad TV, that sort of thing..” Alec grinned cheekily. “And I haven’t even had a chance to see where you’re staying yet…”

Magnus glanced up as he realised what Alec was implying. The last week had been tough on them and had been pretty much the only time they’d slept apart since they’d got together, not to mention that other activities were pretty much off the table as well.

“That is true…” Magnus smiled conspiratorially. “It’s very nice…”

“Good to know..” Alec looked ahead, purposefully avoiding Magnus’ gaze. “You know I expect I’ll be very stiff tomorrow, what with all the hard work today...so…”

It only took a few moments for Magnus to grasp what Alec was suggesting and the thought set his pulse racing.

“Anyway, shall we get to this celebration then…” Alec deadpanned as he guided them to the waiting car.

“Well you know me, I’m all into parties.” Magnus pulled Alec round to face him. “But now you mention it, I am rather tired.”

Alec raised an eyebrow.

“So what do you say we get out of here for a bit.” Magnus added in.

“Yeah let’s do that…” Alec grinned, pulling Magnus towards the car and practically tearing the door off the hinges in his haste to get into the back.

As they both practically fell onto the back seat, Magnus had the briefest moment to consider that this was probably the happiest he’d ever been in his entire life before their lips collided again.

Drowning in Alec’s fervent kisses, all Magnus could think was that finally, after all his years of searching, he’d finally found his home and that if he’d learnt anything over the last few months it was that love wasn’t a weakness. No, love, when it was right, made you stronger than you ever thought possible and helped you achieve things you never thought you could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there we have it....I hope you liked it and feel free to shout at me....
> 
> A few extra little notes...because I’m a total nerd Alec got the same winning score as the wonderful Max Whitlock when he won pommel gold this year...you should totally check out his routine..
> 
> As I’m a Brit I have added in a few homages - one to my favourite sports presenter (who to be fair doesn’t normally commentate on gymnastics but hey ho) and also to a cute incident that happened during the olympics with a certain diver and his now husband....
> 
> I hope you’ve enjoyed this as much as me and feel free to come and say hi to me on tumblr @the-burning-tiger and as I’ve not much to do at the moment you could always throw me a prompt ;-)
> 
> Love and hugs Tigs x

**Author's Note:**

> So hopefully that was ok - would love to hear what you think. I'm hoping to update every fortnight at least but as I'm nearly done with my other fic hopefully it might be quicker, but I won't promise anything yet....
> 
> Thank you for reading
> 
> Tigs xox


End file.
